NUREMBERG, Germany -- Canada's Eugenie Bouchard has captured her first WTA title.
The 20-year-old from Montreal defeated Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 on Saturday to win the Nuremberg Cup title.
Bouchard didn't lose a set en route to the final, and then needed less than 30 minutes to win the first set Saturday, losing just four points on serve. She ran into trouble in the second, leading 4-2 before Pliskova reeled off four straight games to force a decisive third set.
Bouchard, playing in only her second WTA final, is the first Canadian to win a WTA singles titles since Aleksandra Wozniak, who was crowned champion in Stanford in 2008.
The Canadian, who reached the semifinals of the Australian Open, is ranked No. 19 in the world but was the second seed this week because of the absence of many of the world's top women. The victory will boost Bouchard to a new career-high ranking on Monday headed into the French Open.
"I'm really excited, of course, second Grand Slam of the year and I think I've had great preparation," said Bouchard at centre court after Sunday's match. "This week has really helped me get ready and I'm looking forward to playing some great tennis."
Pliskova, who upset top-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany in the quarter-finals, was playing her second final of the year and was seeking her second career title after Kuala Lumpur in 2013.
Bouchard will travel to Roland Garros where she'll take on Shahar Peer of Israel in her first-round French Open match.
