NOTTINGHAM, England (AP) — Caroline Garcia of France defeated former champion Donna Vekic 2-6, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4) to win her first title of the year at the Nottingham Open on Sunday.
Top-seeded Garcia, who finished her 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 semifinal victory over American Jennifer Brady earlier Sunday, recovered after losing the first set to outlast the 2017 winner over more than 2 ½ hours.
It was the 28th-ranked Garcia's seventh career title and her second on grass after her win in Mallorca in 2016.
Both players hit seven aces and Vekic converted all four of her break points, with Garcia going 2-for-2 on break points.
The rain finally held off after ravaging much of the rest of the tournament. The opening two days were completely washed out before organizers decided to switch the first and second round matches indoors, while Vekic's quarterfinal against Kristina Mladenovic started on grass but had to be completed indoors on Friday.
