Camila Giorgi personified the role of an unseeded floater at the Merida Open Akron this week.
On Sunday, she stepped back into the WTA winners’ circle with her fourth career trophy. Though the world No. 68 dropped her first set of the tournament, Giorgi pulled away late from qualifier Rebecca Peterson to taste victory, 7-6 (3), 1-6, 6-2, after two hours and 23 minutes.
“I’m so happy to be here, especially my first time in Mexico. What a surprise,” Giorgi said during her champion’s speech. “This atmosphere—was an amazing week. What a final we did Rebecca.”
Giorgi trailed 3-5 in the opening set, and after holding, was two points from losing it in the following game. After the Swede double faulted at 30-15, Giorgi stepped in with her explosive hitting to break back thanks to a forehand winner and smart redirect with a backhand up the line.
Peterson regrouped after dropping the tiebreak to take eight of nine games, a stretch where she was the superior ball-striker. But the Italian cleaned up her act, dominating the concluding chapters with a six-game stretch to finish with 40 winners and 44 unforced errors.
During her run at this week’s WTA 250 event, Giorgi beat three seeded players, highlighted by a double bagel thrashing of No. 2 seed Sloane Stephens in the quarterfinals. The triumph marked the 31-year-old’s first since lifting her biggest crown to date at the 2021 National Bank Open in Montreal.