Jakupovic wins double crown in ITF event

Aurangabad: Top seed Dalila Jakupovic of Slovenia lifted the title with a straight-set win over second seed Peangtarn Plipuech of Thailand in the singles final for a well-deserved double in the Endurance MSLTA USD 10,000 ITF women`s tennis championships on Saturday.

The 20-year-old Slovenian, who, along with Sarah-Rebecca Sekulic of Germany, had won the doubles title on Friday, played aggressively to score a 6-4, 7-5 win over the Thai second seed in 1 hour and 45 minutes and lifted her maiden singles crown. In the first set, the 403rd ranked Jakupovic, who now lives in Switzerland, broke the tall Plipuech - ranked 453 - in the 10th game. In the second set, she broke her Asian rival in the 12th game to wrap up the match. "I`m thrilled to win the first title of my life and that too a double crown. I will remember my win at Aurangabad throughout my lifetime," said an elated Jakupovic after her victory. "I like it here and played good tennis the entire week and hope to win as many matches I can this year," she added. Jakupovic got 18 WTA points for her win and USD 1568 for singles and USD 320 for her doubles victories, while Plipeuch got 10 WTA points and USD 980 for her efforts. PTI