Dominika Cibulkova outgunned and outmaneuvered Karolina Pliskova to beat her 7-5 6-3 and win her first-ever grass-court title at the Aegon International in Eastbourne. The Slovakian, 27, took full advantage of her superior movement on court to force her Czech opponent off balance time and again during the match and was understandably delighted with the result.

Cibulkova said, ‘This one is really special. It's my second title of the year, and I’ve never been able to win two titles in one year before. And it’s my first one on grass too, so it feels great. I would say this is the toughest tournament before a Grand Slam because everybody wants to do well on grass. So the competition was really strong, and I was able to beat some of the top players on grass, which gives me a lot of confidence.’

Both players appeared nervous to begin with as they surrendered their opening service games, and it was Cibulkova who was first to settle as she produced a series of aggressive groundstrokes to earn the first hold of the match in game three. At this stage, it was already clear that the strong wind blowing in from the sea was making it difficult for Cibulkova to control her ball toss, but, to her great credit, it never seemed to affect her concentration. The wind also made floatier shots a risky option for either player, so flat hitting was crucial.

The Slovakian raised her level in the fourth game, hitting a precise backhand pass to win one point and then a wonderful inside-out forehand to gain a 0-40 advantage and three break points. She needed all three, but eventually a Pliskova double fault handed her the break and a 3-1 lead. However, Cibulkova narrowly missed with a forehand down the line at 30-40 in the next game to concede her own serve. Neither player seemed happy with what they were producing on court, and both called for their coaches at the changeover.

After the match, Cibulkova talked about the unique challenges created by today’s conditions. She said, ‘It was an extremely tough match today. With the conditions and the wind, it was really tough to focus. In the beginning, I was a little bit nervous about the wind, so my serve wasn't working well. Then my coach said, “Just focus on your serve. Don't focus too much on the wind. Do the same things you do when there is no wind.” I found my rhythm after a while, and I was feeling really good on the court. I knew what I had to do. I was going for my forehands and was really solid on the backhand. I was also returning pretty well. So all these things came together, and that's why I won.’

Cibulkova and Pliskova earned a break each in the next three games thanks to some excellent groundstrokes. The Czech was first to strike, producing an excellent backhand to throw Cibulkova off balance and open up the court for a forehand winner that gave her a break point, then following it up with a low forehand to force an error and take the game. The world No. 21 announced her intention to hit straight back with a brilliant forehand winner to make it 0-15. A poorly hit drop shot and a couple of forced errors from Pliskova then gave Cibulkova the break.

At this stage, there still wasn’t any clear indication of who was going to win the match. But that all changed when Pliskova was serving to stay in the set at 5-6. Two poor errors saw her go 0-30 down, and then a succession of excellent cross-court backhands from Cibulkova drew an error from Pliskova. Another error from the Czech sealed the break and the first set for Cibulkova, and she celebrated it a huge roar of ‘Pome!’

Cibulkova never looked back after that, securing two easy holds to lead 2-1 in the second set, and then hitting a forehand winner to punish a weak Pliskova serve and an impressive forehand pass to seal the only break of serve in the second set. However, she had to battle very hard to hold onto that advantage in the seventh game as Pliskova threw everything at her to try and get back into the match. The Czech repeatedly hit deep groundstrokes, and Cibulkova struggled for rhythm as she made six errors and faced four break points in the game. She saved them all through a combination of fierce backhands and accurate first serves, as well as a few Pliskova errors, and held onto her serve to move into a 5-2 lead.

Pliskova held her own serve to make Cibulkova serve for the match and the title. She managed it easily, holding at love with a ferocious backhand to force an error and clinch the victory. When Pliskova’s last shot missed, Cibulkova let out a big shriek of delight and fell to the ground. The title was a worthy reward for a brilliant week’s tennis from the Slovakian, who will be the new world No. 18 when the rankings are updated on Monday.

Afterwards, Cibulkova said she was pleased with how she dealt with the pressure of playing one of the biggest matches of her career. She said, ‘I was able to win because I was really mentally strong during that game when I was 4-2 up and serving in the second set. She had some break points to go 4-3, and I didn't panic. But I had my plan, and I was going after it. That's what got me through. If I had shaken a little bit, I could have lost that match because on grass it can go really quickly. But I stayed really calm and strong.’

And Pliskova was very gracious in defeat. She said, ‘She was playing really well even in the wind. It was tough to hit my serve today. But she was playing aggressively and almost without mistakes, so she deserved to win.’