Elena Vesnina mastered testing, windy conditions on Saturday to win the second WTA title of her career with a 6-2, 6-1 defeat of Jamie Hampton at the ATP-WTA Eastbourne International. Vesnina will move up to 22nd in the world as a result of her success, with Hampton rising to a career-best 25th. The contest took 73 minutes in whipping wind which resulted in several dead bounces and shots going out which would normally land in.
Vesnina had her own troubles with a billowy short skirt. The Russian was just a fortnight removed from the French Open doubles title which she won alongside Ekaterina Makarova at Roland Garros. "I told myself I just needed to stay in the match, try to play every single point," said the winner. "Don't think about wind and just fight. It was just about fighting spirit.
"I'm pretty happy about my game today with these tough conditions. "I was trying to play safe, using slice a little bit more just to make Jamie play low balls. You have no choice, you just need to put it in the centre of the court. "I was just trying to play aggressive and deep so Jamie didn't have the time to attack. So that was my game plan." The player who lost her first six WTA finals before finally winning in Hobart in January, admitted that conditions on court made life difficult.
"In Hobart it was very similar conditions to these. I was prepared for that, I was expecting that it's going to be windy. I used to hate wind - now I just love it." Vesnina, coached by her father, lifted the trophy at Devonshire park after winning ten of the last 11 games of the match. She ended with 17 unforced errors, 13 winners and four breaks of the 23-year-old American from Alabama.
Hampton was playing her first WTA final. "I was so honoured to be here, it's been an unforgettable week for me," said the American who will play compatriot Sloane Stephens in the first round at Wimbledon. "Conditions were definitely tougher than yesterday," said Hampton. "She played the conditions much better than I did.