It was a dream finish for Monica Puig of Puerto Rico, the world No.34, as she beat Australian Open champion, Wimbledon runner-up and World No. 2 Angelique Kerber of Germany 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 in the women’s final at the Olympic Tennis Centre on Saturday.
“I could not really believe what just happened. It was such an amazing moment and the ball seemed to be going out a little slow,” said the 22-year-old, who has a solitary Tour title to her credit.
Even though she lives in Miami, Puig is in constant touch with her family in Puerto Rico.
She still does not remember the lines of her national anthem despite her father sending the lyrics.
“I heard some people singing and I knew the words that were coming next. If I stopped crying, I would have started singing,” she said.
Puig said she was happy with the way she kept improving with every match.
“I started getting faster. I started getting more powerful. I started believing in myself even more. With every match, I continued to learn and continued to grow. I just achieved one of my biggest dreams,” she said.
“I hope this can be an inspiration to all Latin women that everything can be done in this life,” Puig said.
Petra Kvitova won the bronze after beating Madison Keys of the US 7-5, 2-6, 6-2.
The men’s final will feature Wimbledon champion Andy Murray of Britain and Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro.
Murray beat Kei Nishikori 6-1, 6-4, while del Potro fought past former champion Rafael Nadal, winning 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(5) in a thriller.
“I played the best I could with a great fighting spirit. I congratulate del Potro on a great event for him,” said Nadal.
