"It was a really tough match for us on the court today. I love playing here every time and now I've finally managed to win the title for the third time. I'm super happy and this place will always be special and magical for me," said the tournament number four after receiving the Swarovski trophy. It is Alexandrova's fifth WTA tournament win and her biggest title since 2020, when she won in Shenzhen. 

Yastremska misses out on reward after a great comeback
For a set and a half, it looked as if the 30-year-old would win the match in quick succession, but Dayana Yastremska showed great fighting spirit and suddenly played like she was unleashed after trailing 2:6, 0:3. To great applause from the crowd, the tournament number five won nine games in a row. The match developed on an equal footing before Alexandrova managed the decisive break at 5:5 in the third set. Yastremska mustered the last of her strength and fended off four match points before she had to concede defeat. "Dayana played incredibly well on the match points and that was hard to accept, but I just had to stay patient and wait for the right moment and that came on the fifth match point," said the winner after the match, sharing her thoughts on the moments just before winning the title.

Although Alexandrova managed far fewer winning shots than her opponent (seven compared to Yastremska's 31), she also only made 15 unforced errors in the entire match over more than two hours, while Yastremska ended up with 41 unforced errors. The Ukrainian took her defeat in her stride: "That's life. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. But the year has started very well and I hope it continues like this, or even better. I've already played here four times and have always received a warm welcome. I feel right at home here on centre court."

In addition to 500 world ranking points and the prize money of 147,765 dollars, Alexandrova can also look forward to the Swarovski winner's trophy. She has also moved up five places in the world rankings and will therefore be ranked 25th from Monday.

Tournament director Sandra Reichel celebrates her 25th anniversary
In addition to numerous spectators, Governor Thomas Stelzer did not miss the big final party and took on the honourable task of tossing the coin before the match. He also took the opportunity after the final to congratulate Sandra Reichel on her 25th anniversary as tournament director of the Linz tournament: "You and your team are doing great things for tennis and also great things for Upper Austria and Linz. Respect and many thanks for that." This praise was echoed by Deputy Mayor Karin Hörzing: "It is not a matter of course, the commitment and great heart with which you do this. Thank you very much, Sandra."

Babos and Stefani win in doubles 
The final day was rounded off with the final of the doubles competition. Following the singles final, Timea Babos (Hungary) and Luisa Stefani (Brazil) challenged the sisters Nadiia and Lyudmyla Kichenok from Ukraine. And this match was in no way inferior to the singles final in terms of excitement. In the end, the fourth seeded pairing of Babos/Stefani showed comeback qualities and won 3:6, 7:5 and 10:4 after 93 minutes. This is the first title they have won together on the tour. "We only got together at the last second and I would say it was very successful for us," laughed Babos after receiving the trophy and also thanked the crowd for their fantastic support. 

Next year, the Upper Austria Ladies Linz will celebrate its 35th anniversary. The anniversary edition of the WTA tournament is scheduled for 1 to 8 February.