“I think the key was to try and stay mentally composed, I knew myself I wasn’t playing very well so I just needed to keep going one point at a time, if I kept giving myself a chance by holding serve I thought my tennis might improve and fall into place and I did – and I am really proud of myself for how I fought today,” she said, after playing a three-setter for the first time in her pro career.
“I take a lot from this match today. All of the matches I am playing I am gaining experience and I definitely feel that one counts huge because when you are not playing very well you know you can do better, and just pull yourself through.”
The 18-year-old failed to drop a set through three qualifying rounds and seven main-draw matches en route to the title in New York last month, and said the experience of her first three-set battle on the WTA Tour showed her she was able to “dig deep”.
She added: “Also dropping the first set hasn’t happened to me very often so far but I have learned about digging in and that I can turn matches around and that is a big learning thing for me.”
