Pegula saves five championship points to win Berlin Open

Jessica Pegula's four previous WTA Tour titles had been won on hard courts

Jessica Pegula saved five championship points as she beat Anna Kalinskaya to win the Berlin Open and confirm her status as a Wimbledon title contender.

American Pegula missed the European clay-court swing with injury and made her return to playing last week in the Netherlands.

She first completed her rain-delayed semi-final on Sunday against doubles partner and world number two Coco Gauff, quickly wrapping up a 7-5 7-6 (7-2) win.

The world number five then had to find her way back against Russia's Kalinskaya, overturning a 4-1 third-set deficit to win 6-7 (0-7) 6-4 7-6 (7-3).

It is Pegula's fifth WTA Tour title and her first on grass.

She reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon last year, losing in three sets to eventual champion Marketa Vondrousova.

Pegula, 30, is scheduled to play at the Eastbourne International before Wimbledon begins on 1 July.

Birmingham title 'amazing but confusing' for Putintseva

Victory in Birmingham gave Yulia Putintseva her third WTA Tour title

At the Birmingham Classic, Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva beat Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic 6-1 7-6 (10-8) to win her first grass-court title.

It was her first title for three years, with her past two triumphs coming on clay-courts.

She fought back from a break down in the final set and converted on her third match point as Tomljanovic skewed a forehand wide.

“It’s my first on grass and I don’t even know how I’m feeling because I wasn’t expecting this to happen at all," the 29-year-old said.

“It’s amazing but also confusing because I usually play my best tennis on the clay, and now all of a sudden, I’m performing well on the grass - but I’ll take it!”

Tomljanovic was searching for her first WTA title, having lost her previous four finals.

It was her first final since an injury-hit 2023 which meant she dropped outside the top 100.