TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- Sorana Cirstea got her first career title Sunday by rallying to beat Sabine Lisicki 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) in the title match at the Tashkent (Uzbekistan) Open.
The 18-year-old Bucharest, Romania, native, the tournament's third seed, had played in just one final before Sunday, losing to Gisela Dulko at the 2007 Gaz de France tournament in Budapest, Hungary.
"I'll cherish the title in Tashkent forever as it is my first title," she said. "I've been improving a lot since my first final, and I'm looking for many more titles."
Cirstea collected a $22,925 first-place check.
It was the first WTA Tour final for the Lisicki, the fourth seed. Her best previous finish was a quarterfinal loss to Maria Kirilenko at the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open in Cincinnati in August.
