Kontaveit wins St. Petersburg title after seeing off Sakkari in epic

Anett Kontaveit clinched the St. Petersburg Ladies' Trophy by mounting a thrilling comeback against Maria Sakkari in Sunday's final.

The pair were tied 6-6 in their head-to-head record going into the match, which was a battle between world number seven Sakkari and WTA number nine Kontaveit, who were seeded first and second respectively at the Russian showpiece.

Sakkari took the lead in St. Petersburg by winning the first set 7-5 after initially trailing 5-3.

But in the second, Kontaveit narrowly avoided defeat by snatching the set 7-6 (7-4) on a tiebreak.

Into the third set, Sakkari surged 4-1 ahead and seemed set for the title before Kontaveit clawed her way back to 5-5 and eventually prevailed 7-5.

Kontaveit's conquest is a sixth singles competition win after scooping four tournaments in 2021 alone, though in Grand Slams she has only reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in 2020.

For being successful in her 13th final appearance, the 26-year-old Estonian will be awarded $108,000 in prize money to add to a career total of $6.9 million.

Reaching her fourth final yet failing to win a second tournament, runner-up Sakkari, 26, will pocket $66,800 to add to career earnings of $5.8 million.