Lisa Pigato, the No. 3 seed, secured her victory at the Caldas da Rainha Ladies Open by defeating Czech No. 8 seed Gabriela Knutson 6-4, 6-2 on Sunday afternoon. This win marks Pigato's second career WTA 125 title, following her triumph in Madrid last April.
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Ranked No. 130, Pigato faced a challenging path to the final, often considered an underdog according to predictive models. In the quarterfinals, she overcame Switzerland’s Susan Bandecchi with a score of 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 after a tough match against Sweden’s Kajsa Rinaldo Persson, which she won 6-2, 2-6, 6-4.
Pigato began the tournament with a decisive 6-0, 6-1 victory over Portuguese wildcard Sana Garakani, followed by a 6-3, 7-5 win against Belgian No. 5 seed Jeline Vandromme in the semifinals. After enduring back-to-back three-set matches, she won the final in straight sets.
For Knutson, ranked No. 184, this loss marks her second consecutive defeat in the Caldas da Rainha final, having previously lost to Polina Iatcenko in 2025. Throughout the tournament, Knutson defeated Japan’s Aoi Ito 7-6 (4), 6-2, Dutchwoman Anouk Koevermans 6-3, 6-2, American qualifier Malaika Rapolu 6-2, 1-6, 6-4, and Slovak Mia Pohankova 7-5, 5-7, 6-3 to reach the final.