Pliskova tastes victory again with Transylvania title

Former World No. 1 Karolina Pliskova lifted her first WTA trophy in four years at the Transylvania Open on Sunday, beating home hope Ana Bogdan in straight sets.

Czech Pliskova, who had dropped to 78th in the world, won 6-4, 6-3 against the eighth-seeded Romanian. The 31-year-old two-time Grand Slam finalist won the 17th trophy of her career and first since Brisbane in 2020.

Pliskova, who spent eight weeks ranked World No. 1 in 2017, was still inside the top 20 at this time last year, despite not reaching a final since August 2021.

She was unseeded in Cluj but swept into the final without dropping a set.

Bogdan, ranked 65, got an early break before dropping serve twice with Pliskova dominating the second set to seal victory and extend her unbeaten run against the Romanian to four matches.