Cristina Bucsa breaks all her ceilings in Mérida
The Spanish player defeats a top 10 rival for the first time, advances to her first final of a WTA 500 tournament, and ensures she will leave Mexico with the best ranking of her career.
She may not be the most media-covered tennis player we have, but Cristina Bucsa has been the Spanish player with the most individual successes within the circuit for several months now. A clear example is the ticket she earned this early morning for the final of the WTA 500 in Mérida.
The story of Cristina Bucsa is a tale of love for tennis, that of a girl who simply seeks the most basic thing: to be happy with what she does. She does not worry about social media, nor the media noise, nor any other factor that inevitably accompanies competition. Her role is to improve a little every day, which is only demonstrated through hard work and results. The outcome achieved tonight in the WTA 500 in Mérida reinforces that her trajectory is exemplary, defeating Jasmine Paolini (7-5, 6-4) in the semifinals and thus obtaining her first triumph against a top 10 player in the world rankings.
Cristina Bucsa had attempted it ten times before, but she had never found a way to defeat one of the top ten players. The prize for her perseverance – and also for that pure talent with which she was born in Cantabria – was finally awarded this evening on Mexican soil, where Cris has been flying since the tournament began. Stopping the clock at 1h32min with that fast-paced style that characterizes her, securing a fortress of points won with the second serve, and above all, a task that must always be fulfilled when facing the best: being bolder in crucial moments. No one has given her anything, but the best is yet to come.
This victory could very well be enough to crown her as the champion, but there is still one more step to climb. Tonight, just as the clock strikes midnight, Bucsa will step onto the court again to face Magdalena Frech in pursuit of her first individual title of her career. She came close last October, when she fell short in the final of the WTA 250 in Hong Kong against Victoria Mboko (7-5, 6-7, 6-2) in a battle that was decided in the third set. So now it's time to review notes and improve upon the past. In this case, she enters the final match with the confidence of not having dropped a set all week.
Cristina Bucsa, aiming for a double in Mérida
Moreover, the Spaniard has a very high chance of not leaving this tournament empty-handed, as she has also reached the final of the doubles draw. Partnered with Chinese player Xinyu Wang, both players have won the three matches necessary to compete for another title tonight. In this case, it's a format that Bucsa has been dominating for some time now, hence her position in the top 20 of the doubles ranking. A woman who, although she has not yet broken through into the media limelight in our country, is close to making a significant statement and forcing everyone to take more notice of her.
One who couldn't be prouder is her father, Iván, who was moved to tears a few hours ago when his daughter defeated Paolini in straight sets and then searched for him in the stands to share a heartfelt hug. Not just any hug, but one filled with emotion. Today was Iván's birthday, and his daughter had promised him her first victory against a top 10 player as a gift. Destiny had Paolini fulfill her role tonight as well, but the satisfaction when plans succeed is beyond words. Get ready for tonight; there might still be a surprise in store.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Cristina Bucsa rompe todos sus techos en Mérida