Mihaela Bulgaru beat Lina Gjorcheska 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 at the WTA 125k in Ljubljana, taking the decider with three breaks of serve. She lost the overall points count 79-86, so this was a win built on timing rather than statistical dominance.
Bulgaru broke in the opening game of the match for 1-0 and saved all three break points she faced in the first set. Gjorcheska hit back in the second, breaking at 0-2 and again at 0-4 and reeling off five games in a row. In the third, Bulgaru broke for 2-0, was pegged back at 3-2, then broke again at 4-2 and once more at 6-2 to close it out.
Bulgaru's third set was her cleanest: two aces, no double faults, 12/16 first serves in and all three break points faced saved. Gjorcheska's eight double faults across the match, five of them in the first set, were the costliest number on the sheet.