Timofeeva wins Budapest WTA title | The Express Tribune
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Teenage lucky loser Maria Timofeeva from Russia won the Budapest WTA title on Sunday by defeating Ukraine's Kateryna Baindl in a three-set final.
The 19-year-old Timofeeva, ranked at a lowly 246 in the world, came through 6-3, 3-6, 6-0 over her 100th-ranked opponent.
The teenager almost missed this week's main draw entirely, having fallen in the final qualifying round last weekend.
But Timofeeva got a second chance and becomes the first lucky loser to win a WTA Tour title since 15-year-old Coco Gauff in 2019 at Linz.
"This is all very new to me, and it feels like a dream, because normally I shouldn't be here, but here I am," said Timofeeva.
It has been 22 years since a player won a singles title in their main draw debut.
Before Timofeeva, the most recent player to pull off that feat was Indonesia's Angelique Widjaja, at Bali in 2001.
Other women who won the title in their first WTA main draw appearance include Tracy Austin (1977 in Portland) and Justine Henin (1999 at Antwerp).
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