It was another very successful week for our Aussies on the ITF tour with both Akira Santillan and Priscilla Hon breaking their long singles title droughts, and an Aussie pair taking out a doubles title.
[2] Priscilla Hon (AUS) def Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) 6-1, 6-3
Priscilla Hon claimed her fifth career ITF singles title and first since 2018 at the 25K event in Netanya, Israel.
After falling in her 2nd round Roland Garros Qualifying match, Hon headed across the Mediterranean to Israel and won ten straight sets to take out the trophy.
The 24-year-old capped off a brilliant week with a drubbing of Grand Slam Semi-Finalist Yanina Wickmayer in the final, dropping just four games.
Hon is in the midst of a solid season, including getting her first top 20 win against Petra Kvitova in Adelaide, but had since stalled a little.
The Brisbane-born Aussie had not managed to win consecutive matches at any of her past six tournaments, before regaining her January form and doing so four times this week.
The former world number 118 will now rise back inside the WTA top 200 (live ranking of 194) for the first time since September last year, as she keeps building towards a double-digit ranking.
[WC] Akira Santillan (AUS) def Zhe Li (CHI) 2-6, 7-6(3), 6-2
Akira Santillan has continued his strong run of form in Tunisia, taking out his first career ITF tour singles title at the 25K event in Monastir.
Santillan had previously won six futures titles as a teenager, as well as an ATP Challenger title in 2017, but had since not managed any singles silverware.
The 25-year-old worked his way through the draw, defeating homecourt specialist Skander Mansouri in the quarterfinals, before coming from a set down in the final to lift the trophy.
The Tokyo-born Aussie has now won nine of his past ten singles matches which will boost his ATP ranking up over 100 places and inside the top 400 (live ranking of 389).
[1] Calum Puttergill/Aaron Addison (AUS) def [3] Daniel Little/Giles Hussey (GBR) 6-3, 3-6, [10-7]
Aussie duo Puttergill and Addison took out their first title as a pair at the 25K event in Israel.
For 28-year-old Puttergill, it was his sixth career ITF doubles title and second of the season, while for 26-year-old Addison, it is a second straight title and the fourth of his career.
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