23-year-old American Malaika Rapolu 🇺🇸 has secured another stellar title with a championship victory at the ITF W35 tournament in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Seeded fifth in the tournament, Rapolu put on a brilliant display of tennis throughout the week, culminating in a dominant straight-sets win over top-seeded compatriot Hina Inoue 🇺🇸.
Tournament Path & Match Results
After dropping the first set of her opening match, Rapolu rebounded brilliantly and controlled the remainder of her matches to claim the trophy. Here are her complete match results and scores from the tournament, including her opponents’ current WTA rankings:
- Round 1: Defeated Lexington Reed (WC) (🇺🇸, Unranked) | 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
- Round 2: Defeated Carolina Gomez (Q) (🇪🇸, Unranked) | 6-2, 6-3
- Quarter-finals: Defeated Mayu Crossley (🇯🇵, 761) | 6-2, 6-2
- Semi-finals: Defeated Dana Guzman (🇵🇪, 505) | 6-4, 6-2
- Final: Defeated Hina Inoue (1) (🇺🇸, 293) | 6-2, 6-4
Rankings and Prize Money
- Ranking Points: By capturing the W35 title, Rapolu earns 35 WTA ranking points.
- New Career Ranking: This tournament victory significantly boosts her standing. Entering the tournament at No. 400, her new projected live ranking is a career-high World No. 333.
- Prize Money: With W35 tournaments featuring a $25,000 total prize pool, Rapolu is expected to take home the singles champion’s share of approximately $3,935.