Blinkova recovers from a set down against Feistel to reach Luanda final
Top seed Anna Blinkova dropped the opening set before beating Poland’s Gina Feistel 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 in 2 hours 35 minutes to reach the Angola Ladies Open final in Luanda.
Anna Blinkova | © Zuma/PsNewz
Top seed Anna Blinkova dropped the opening set before beating Poland’s Gina Feistel 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 in 2 hours 35 minutes to reach the Angola Ladies Open final in Luanda. Feistel saved three match points, but Blinkova served it out in the next game. She now faces eighth seed Sofya Lansere for her first title since Jiujiang in October 2025.
Blinkova, No. 105 in the WTA rankings, will play for her first title since October 2025 in Jiujiang, where she beat Lilli Tagger 6-3, 6-3 in the final.
How Blinkova beat Feistel
Blinkova broke in the opening game of the deciding set, lost her serve straight back, then broke twice more to lead 4-1. Feistel saved three match points as she held for 5-2. Blinkova then served it out on her third match point of the next game, after saving three break points.
Feistel took the opener 7-5, breaking Blinkova at 5-6 on her second set point. Blinkova levelled with an early break in the second set, which she closed out 6-4 on her second set point.
Blinkova made eight double faults but won 68 percent of her first-serve points, against 59 percent for Feistel. She also saved eight of the 12 break points she faced.
Blinkova faces Lansere in Luanda final
Blinkova opened her week with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Algeria’s Farah Heddar. She then needed three sets to beat China’s Zongyu Li 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 in the last 16. Morocco’s Yasmine Kabbaj also took a set from her in a 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 quarter-final. Blinkova and Lansere have never met.
Feistel, No. 324 in the WTA rankings, leaves Luanda after wins over Poland’s Linda Klimovicova, Bulgaria’s Isabella Shinikova and Russia’s Ksenia Zaytseva.
Blinkova’s path to the final
First round: d. Farah Heddar (WC) 6-2, 6-1
Second round: d. Zongyu Li 6-3, 4-6, 6-2
Quarter-final: d. Yasmine Kabbaj (6) 6-2, 2-6, 6-4
Semi-final: d. Gina Feistel 5-7, 6-4, 6-2
Feistel’s path to the semi-finals
First round: d. Linda Klimovicova (7) 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-4
Second round: d. Isabella Shinikova 6-2, 6-3
Quarter-final: d. Ksenia Zaytseva 6-1, 7-5
Semi-final: lost to Anna Blinkova (1) 5-7, 6-4, 6-2
