Arantxa Sanchez Vicario was the last women to capture a title here, winning the old Virginia Slims of Newport in 1990.
NEWPORT – Tatjana Maria and Caty McNally will share history at this edition of the Hall of Fame Open. Only one can take home the first women’s title awarded at the Newport Casino in 35 years.
Maria made easy work of her semifinal while McNally was pushed to the limit, but both secured the same result on a full Saturday afternoon of action.
Maria lived up to her position as the top seed by taking out Carol Zhao, 6-1, 6-2. McNally looked in deep trouble early but clawed from behind to outlast Elizabeth Mandlik by a count of 1-6, 7-5, 6-4.
“It’s such a nice feeling to be back in a final and to respond really well this week,” Maria said. “It was not so easy at Wimbledon for me.”
“It means a lot to just be in a final,” McNally said. “I gave myself a chance to win a tournament, and it’s always a great problem to be playing on a Sunday.”
Maria faced a single break point while converting on four of her six chances against Zhao. She needed just 66 minutes to close out what was a perfect early evening on the Stadium Court. It will be her first Challenger final since September, and her lone victory on this circuit came in August 2023.
“It’s part of the game to stay mentally there and fight for every point,” Maria said. “Today I tried to do that, and I did it pretty well.”
Maria stormed to a WTA title at the HSBC Championships in London last month, advancing out of qualifying and racing through a tough draw that included a host of notable names. She took out reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys in the semifinals and defeated eventual Wimbledon runner-up Amanda Anisimova in the final. Maria seemed to carry momentum into the season’s third major but suffered a first-round surprise in three sets against Katie Volynets.
“I’m playing pretty well, so I’m really happy,” Maria said. “It’s such a nice place.”
McNally lost to eventual champion Iga Swiatek in the second round at Wimbledon and, like Maria, traveled quickly to enter this tournament. She eased through the opening two rounds before a three-set quarterfinal win over Talia Gibson and faced more adversity against Mandlik. McNally dropped the opening set in barely 20 minutes and gave a playful shake of her head towards her courtside camp after stopping a run of five consecutive service breaks by holding to end the match.
“We were having some really long points,” McNally said. “Just proud of the work I’ve been able to put in.”
An elbow injury forced McNally to withdraw from the U.S. Open in 2023, and she eventually had surgery in March 2024. This is her first singles finals appearance since prior to those setbacks, and she’ll be in search of a second Challenger title. McNally has a personal physiotherapist traveling with her this week, an important detail that’s helped her navigate what has been a rain-delayed schedule.
“There was a lot of doubt and fear and anxiety that I faced coming back from it,” McNally said. “I didn’t know whether my body was going to even allow me to play multiple days in a row.”
Arantxa Sanchez Vicario was the last woman to capture a title here, winning the old Virginia Slims of Newport in 1990. That tournament ran for two decades before switching to an exhibition format, and it was eventually eliminated altogether in 1998.
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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Tatjana Maria and Caty McNally advance to women's tennis final in Newport
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