Putintseva wins Birmingham tournament

Unseeded Kazakhstani Yulia Putintseva claimed her first grass court title by winning the Birmingham Open, beating Australian Ajla Tomljanovic 6-1, 7-6 (10-8) in the final.
The 29-year-old Kazakhstani has already won two titles in her career, both on clay, in Nuremberg in 2019 and Budapest in 2021.

Putintseva became the second unseeded player to win the Birmingham title in the last ten years, after Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia, who won in 2022.
In contrast, Tomljanovic (31 years old) played her first singles final in five years, and is still waiting for her first title.

The Australian, who was previously ranked 32nd in the world before falling to 190th, gave an encouraging image in Birmingham after missing most of 2023 following knee surgery.