Intro:

An ecstatic qualifier, Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria, beat fifth-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany 6-4, 6-4 on Friday (10th January) to win her first WTA title at the Sydney International

Script:

Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria, beat fifth-seeded Angelique Kerber on Friday to win her first WTA title at the Sydney International.

Pironkova, Wimbledon semi-finalist back in 2010, was playing in her first WTA tour final, but had beaten the likes of Sara Errani and Petra Kvitova to set up her meeting with Kerber.

And the Bulgarian's powerful groundstrokes put Kerber under pressure in the key moments of the first set, which she took 6-4.

The second set was a similarly tight contest, but, Pironkova won it by the same scoreline, to take the match 6-4, 6-4.

The win gave Pironkova her first WTA tour title, and ideal preparation ahead of the first Grand Slam of the season, the Australian Open, which gets underway on Monday.