Hungary’s Bondar Sweeps Singles and Doubles at Daytona Beach Women’s Pro Tennis

Anna Bondar won the battle of 21-year-olds in the three-hour Sunday singles final of the 2019 Daytona Beach Women’s Pro Tennis Championships presented by DME Sports Academy last Sunday, a $25,000 ITF World Tennis Tour event, outlasting Francoise Abanda of Canada 6-7(3), 7-6(5), 7-5.

The Hungarian the previous day won the doubles title with partner Ulrikke Eikeri of Norway when the No. 4 seeds edged unseeded Americans Hailey Baptiste and Emina Bektas 6-3, 5-7, 11-9 in the final. She is the first player to win the singles and doubles titles at the Daytona Beach Women’s Pro Tennis Championships since the Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina won the singles and the doubles with American partner Robin Anderson in 2017.

Bonder in the singles semifinals rolled past No. 2-seeded American and former finalist Grace Min 6-1, 6-1, while the top-seeded Abanda needed to work against No. 5 seed Renata Zarazua, defeating the No. 5-seeded Mexican 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. It was the third straight three-set win for Abanda, contrasted by the Bonder’s run to the final without dropping a set.

It was the first ITF World Tennis Tour title of the year for the Hungarian, and the 10th of her career. The title was her first career championship on U.S. soil after claiming two ITF titles last year in Europe.

Abanda, who had a number of injury setbacks last year including a concussion, was appearing in her first ITF final since 2016, and fell to 3-2 in career finals. She was attempting to become the first North American winner of the event in its sixth year at the Florida Tennis Center.

Former Daytona Beach singles and doubles winners:

2019 — Anna Bondar (HUN), Bondar (HUN)/Ulrikke Eikeri (NOR)
2018 — Anhelina Kalinina (UKR), Usue Maitane Arconada (USA)/Alexa Guarachi (CHI)
2017 — Anhelina Kalinina (UKR), Robin Anderson (USA)/Kalinina (UKR)
2016 — Ons Jabeur (TUN), Natela Dzalamidze/Veronika Kudermetova (RUS)
2015 — Daria Kasatkina (RUS), Jan Abaza/Sanaz Marand (USA)
2014 — Anna Tatishvili (GEO), Nicole Melichar (USA)/Teodora Mircic (SRB)

With more than 90 tournaments hosted annually throughout the country and prize money ranging from $15,000-$125,000, the USTA Pro Circuit is the pathway to the US Open and tour-level competition for aspiring tennis players and a frequent battleground for established professionals. Andy Murray, Maria Sharapova, John Isner, Sloane Stephens, Kei Nishikori, Victoria Azarenka, and Sam Querrey and are among today’s top stars who began their careers on the USTA Pro Circuit.

For more info go to www.procircuit.usta.com.