Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah Wins First WTA Title at Sao Paulo Open

GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah captured her first WTA title at the Sao Paulo Open on Sunday, defeating Janice Tjen 6-3, 6-4 in a match that lasted 1 hour and 22 minutes. The 19-year-old French player entered the final as an underdog but showcased her skills on Quadra Central Maria Esther Bueno.

As Alicia Keys‘ song “Girl on Fire” played in the background, Rakotomanga expressed her surprise and excitement. “It was a really stressful week for me,” she said. “The first round was really difficult, and yeah, I didn’t know I was going to win this 250 here in Brazil in the first edition. So yeah, I don’t know what to say.”

Rakotomanga’s road to victory included a challenging first round match against Ana Sofia Sanchez, where she came back from a 5-0 deficit in the final set to win in a tiebreak. Throughout the tournament, she did not drop another set. During the final against Tjen, Rakotomanga faced nine break points in the first set but managed to save them all, showing great composure under pressure.

She excelled in key moments, converting 4 of her 8 break points while Tjen converted only 2 of 10. Despite not hitting any aces and committing five double faults, Rakotomanga performed well on serve, landing 67% of her first serves and winning 75% of her second-serve points. She also recorded more winners (17) and fewer unforced errors (23) compared to Tjen.

With her victory, Rakotomanga climbs to No. 131 in the live PIF WTA Rankings, marking her ascent from outside the top 200. She now ranks No. 8 among players under 20 and No. 6 among French women. Tjen also benefits from her performance; she rises to No. 103, nearing her first entry into the top 100.

In the doubles final held earlier, Timea Babos and Luisa Stefani secured the title after defeating Ingrid Martins and Laura Pigossi 4-6, 6-3, 10-4. This victory marks Babos’s 28th career WTA doubles title and the third title for both players in 2025.