Tereza Valentova kept it light after losing her maiden WTA final as the 18-year-old expressed her gratitude to her coach for supporting her, although it can be "pretty tough" with her.
For Valentova, it was a long stay in Osaka since she first had to win two qualifying matches to reach the main draw. Then, the rising Czech tennis star won four additional main draw matches to reach the title match. Unfortunately for the 78th-ranked teenager, she fell just a set short of becoming a WTA champion after No. 4 seed Leylah Fernandez handed her a 6-0 5-7 6-3 loss.
After not standing a chance in the first set, Valentova impressively bounced back from a bagel and managed to force a decider. In the third set, the Czech came back from an early break down - but lost her serve again in the critical moments in the eighth game - and that proved too costly.
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Valentova: Thanks to my coach, it's sometimes pretty tough with me
I want to thank my coach for being here with me. I know its sometimes pretty tough with me. Im sorry, but Im really thankful for the job youre doing with me. Also my family back home, my parents, my brother, they were supporting me every single match. Im really glad they put me in this sport. Im really glad for the job theyre doing. Also my friends back home who are supporting me every single day. I appreciate it. Thank you so much," the 18-year-old said.
Following her runner-up finish in Osaka, Valentova is set to gain 20 spots on the WTA rankings and enjoy a new career-high ranking of No. 58 on Monday.
