Koroleva wins Cayman Open women’s singles

By Cayman Sports Buzz
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Updated: 10 February 2017

Former professional player Yana Koroleva won the women’s singles title at the 2017 Cayman Islands Open Tennis Championships Thursday, 9 February, beating top local junior Jade Wilkinson in the final.

Koroleva, who recently moved to the island, defeated 16-year-old Wilkinson 6-0, 6-1 at the Cayman Islands Tennis Club in South Sound. “She was great. The score doesn’t really give it justice. She made me work pretty hard,” Koroleva said in a post-match interview with CaymanSportsBuzz.com.

Wilkinson played well against a more experienced opponent.

Wilkinson described the experience as fun. “I never played someone of such a high level [before]. It was a good experience,” she said. “It’s motivating because I feel I can compete at that level but I still have a lot to work on.”

The 24-year-old Koroleva, who had a career high WTA ranking of 385 in 2010, recently moved to the island. She assessed Wilkinson’s game: “I think she has what it takes [but] she needs a little more consistency, a little more practice, a bit more competition…she definitely has the power,” she said.

Koroleva, a former All-American for the Clemson University Tigers, encouraged the younger player to keep training and to put in long hours on and off the court, as she strives to take her game to a higher level.

The tournament continues until Saturday, 11 February when the men’s singles champion will be crowned, as well as the men’s and women’s doubles plus the mixed doubles.