Sports
Young Stars Valentova and Marcinko Win WTA 125 Titles

PORTO, Portugal — Rising tennis stars Tereza Valentova, 18, and Petra Marcinko, 19, celebrated significant victories in the WTA 125 circuit last week, each claiming singles titles in Porto and Rome. Valentova, seeded third, triumphed on the hard courts of Porto with a decisive 6-4, 6-2 win against 21-year-old Lanlana Tararudee from Thailand.
The championship match lasted 1 hour and 46 minutes, during which Valentova saved nine out of ten break points. This victory marked a culmination of an impressive week, as she won all her matches in straight sets. Valentova now holds two WTA 125 titles, having also won in Grado, Italy last month. Earlier this year, she made her Grand Slam debut at 2025 Roland Garros, reaching the second round before losing to champion Coco Gauff.
On Monday, Valentova will reach a new career-high ranking of No. 106, a jump from No. 129. “It’s been a breakthrough summer for me, and I’m very excited about what’s coming next,” Valentova remarked after her win.
Meanwhile, Croatia’s Marcinko earned her first career WTA 125 singles title on Sunday by defeating third-seed Oksana Selekhmeteva with a score of 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in Rome. This intense final lasted 2 hours and 17 minutes, with Marcinko overcoming challenges after dominating her earlier matches.
Marcinko, also a former Junior Grand Slam champion, had been a runner-up in Montreux, Switzerland last year. With this victory, she rises from No. 169 to No. 131 in the rankings.
In the doubles finals in Porto, American sisters Carmen and Ivana Corley claimed victory against Liang En-shuo and Peangtarn Plipuech, finishing with a score of 6-3, 6-1. The Corley sisters have now won two WTA 125 doubles titles in successive weeks, showcasing their talents on different surfaces.
In a thrilling doubles match in Rome, Cho I-hsuan and Cho Yi-tsen of Chinese Taipei took the title after a hard-fought battle, edging past Ekaterine Gorgodze and Darja Semeņistaja 4-6, 6-4, [10-6].