site.btaIvanova Eyes First ITF Title After Win in Semifinal

Iva Ivanova has reached the singles final of the USD 15,000 hard-court tournament in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

The fifth seed Bulgarian defeated fourth seed Stephanie Judith Visscher of the Netherlands 5–7, 7–6(2), 6–4 after nearly three hours of play.

19-year-old Ivanova came back from an early 2–5 deficit in the first set, but after levelling at 5–5, she lost eight of the next nine points, giving Visscher the set. In the second set, the Bulgarian teen wasted a 5–3 lead but then dominated the tiebreak, racing to a 4–0 and then 6–1 lead, which proved decisive.

In the deciding third set, Ivanova, ranked 710th on the WTA, fell behind 1–3 but won four consecutive games to complete a comeback and maintain her advantage to the end.

This marks her third career singles final on the ITF Women’s World Tennis Tour and her second of the season, following her appearance in Monastir, Tunisia, in mid-February.

In her pursuit for her first title, the young Bulgarian will face local favourite Sandra Samir, the tournament’s second seed and 373rd in the world rankings, in Sunday’s final.