Tennis player Sofia Shapatava wins ITF tournament in Turkey

Georgian tennis player Sofia Shapatava claimed her first trophy of the year after defeating Turkey’s Ayla Aksu in an International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournament final in Antalya on Sunday.

Shapatava emerged victorious in the final of the $15,000 prize money event with a score of 2-6, 7-6, 7-6.

The result capped off Shapatava’s winning streak at the competition as the athlete defeated five opponents on her way to the tournament cup.

 

#winner #sofibellaactive #mizuno

A post shared by Sofia Shapatava (@sofiashapatava) on Mar 19, 2017 at 6:42am PDT

She started her quest at the ITF event with a first round win over Serbia’s Bojana Markovic and eliminated another Serbian competitor, Marina Kachar, in the second round.

Progressing to the play-off stages, Shapatava defeated China’s Zhuoma Ni Ma in the quarterfinal.

The 28-year old then came out on top in her semifinal encounter against Russia’s Alena Tarasova, setting up the final with the local favourite Aksu.

The Antalya win brings Shapatava her first trophy of the year. Photo: Sofia Shapatava/Facebook.

Georgia’s highest ranked female player featured in the singles draw of the ITF competition among 32 players from across the world.

Held from March 13-19 on clay surface, the tournament was played on outdoor courts, with finals for both men’s and women’s categories held on Sunday.