Rus claims back-to-back W60 titles in Gran Canaria

Arantxa Rus has re-discovered that winning feeling.

A week after winning her first title of the season - and the biggest of her career to date - on the ITF World Tennis Tour in Gran Canaria, the 30-year-old Dutchwoman repeated the feat at the same venue to win back-to-back W60 titles at San Bartolome de Tirajana in Gran Canaria.

Just like the week before, Rus achieved the feat without so much as dropping a set, this time defeating 16-year-old Andorran Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva 6-0 6-1 in the final.

The world No. 69’s back-to-back triumphs were her first tournament victories since a remarkable 2019 season that saw her claim 10 titles on the ITF World Tennis Tour – the most ever collected by a player (male or female) in a calendar year in ITF history.

Rus’ latest triumphs add to a season that has seen her reach two finals at WTA 125k level – in Bol, Croatia, and Belgrade, Serbia – and finish runner up at a further ITF W60 tournament in Spain in May.

Runner-up Jimenez Kasintseva, meanwhile, could be delighted with her week, having come through qualifying to reach her first final on the ITF World Tennis Tour, defeating three Top 300-ranked opponents along the way.

The 2020 Australian Open junior champion, who also reached the semi-finals of the girls' event at Wimbledon this year, leaps 169 places to a career-high WTA ranking of 406 by virtue of her run.

Also last week, there were W25 titles for Australian Jaimee Fourlis, Korean Sujeong Jang and Romanian Cristina Dinu, while three players claimed W15 titles – Japan’s Ayumi Koshishi, Italian Anna Turati and German Julia Middendorf. 

The action continues with nine women's tournaments on the ITF World Tennis Tour this week, headlined by W60 Prerov. Follow all the latest scores here.