Dutch qualifier Kiki Bertens claimed her first WTA event with a 7-5 6-0 victory over Spain’s Laura Pous-Tio in Morocco.
The world No.149 was playing in only her second WTA main draw at the claycourt tournament.
Before this week 21-year-old Bertens’s only WTA main draw was at her home event in ‘s-Hertogenbosch last year where she lost in the first round.
“In the beginning I was very nervous and she started well, but after I won the first set all my nerves were gone,” said Bertens.
“I love it here. I was here for one week because I played the qualies too, so I’m a little bit tired now, but I’m going to celebrate tonight and then go back home tomorrow.
“I’m excited. I’m going to play more tournaments now and try to win more.”
She almost didn’t make it into the main draw, surviving some close encounters in her last two qualifiers – she was down 3-1 in the third set to Lara Arruabarrena-Vecino and 4-1 third set to Kristyna Pliskova – but she survived.
Then in the main draw, she defeated Urszula Radwanska, Chanelle Scheepers, Garbine Muguruza Blanco and two-time runner-up Simona Halep in the semi-finals.