Maria wins Queen's Club title in women's return

German qualifier Tatjana Maria capped an unthinkable week successful London arsenic she defeated American No. 8 effect Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 6-4 connected Sunday to go the archetypal pistillate to triumph a rubric astatine Queen's Club successful implicit fractional a century.

The triumph marked the extremity of an bonzer nine-day agelong for the satellite No. 86, having stunned second-seeded and Australian Open champion Madison Keys successful the erstwhile round.

The 37-year-old becomes the oldest subordinate to assertion a WTA rubric since Serena Williams successful Auckland successful 2020. Maria dropped lone 1 acceptable en way to the title, and her imagination tally included victories implicit Kazakh 4th effect Elena Rybakina and Czech sixth effect Karolina Muchova.

The Wimbledon warm-up lawsuit astatine Queen's welcomed backmost pistillate competitors for the archetypal clip since 1973, erstwhile the Soviet Union's Olga Morozova won the title.

Maria dominated Anisimova with large serves and earned an aboriginal interruption successful the archetypal set. She won 12 points successful a enactment arsenic she raced to a 4-1 pb and past held disconnected a little Anisimova fightback to adjacent retired the set.

Maria carried her momentum into the 2nd acceptable arsenic she again surged into a 4-1 lead. Her seventh ace of the lucifer helped her determination up 5-3, and she served retired the lucifer 2 games aboriginal to clinch her archetypal rubric successful implicit 2 years.

"A imagination travel true. [When] I came here, I was ne'er reasoning I could clasp the trophy astatine the end," Maria said. "When we arrived, my small miss said, 'Wow, that's a bully trophy, truthful big,' and I said, 'OK, let's spell for it. I volition effort to triumph it.'

"In the end, I've won it, it's incredible. So happy. Everything is imaginable if you judge successful it. You spell your way, doesn't substance which it is, but you person to support going. I privation to amusement this to my kids and hopefully they are proud. It's amazing."

Maria threw her arms up arsenic she watched Anisimova's forehand sail wide connected lucifer constituent earlier some players embraced astatine the net.

"I wouldn't beryllium amazed if we spot you successful the Wimbledon last due to the fact that you truly had maine moving retired determination today," Anisimova said.

Maria is projected to determination up to No. 43 erstwhile the caller rankings are released Monday.