Caroline Garcia did not manage to definitively turn the page on a mixed start to the 2023 season by failing on Sunday in the final of the WTA 250 tournament in Monterrey against the Croatian Donna Vekic.
In the final, the world No.5 and tournament favorite was beaten by Vekic (world No.31) 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, in 2h29.
The 26-year-old Croatian won the 4th singles title of her career, after those of Kuala Lumpur in 2014, Nottingham in 2017 and Courmayeur in 2021.
For her part, the Frenchwoman suffered a second defeat in the final of the Monterrey tournament, after that of 2015. This Mexican week, just before the meeting in Indian Wells (United States) from March 8 to 19, however enough to restore some of Caroline Garcia's confidence, even if the opposition was not very tough with five players in the top 50: with the exception of her defeat in the final, she won all her matches in straight sets and regained its efficiency in service.
In four appearances in Monterrey, Garcia has always reached at least the semi-finals.
His start to the season had undermined his confidence, boosted by an impressive second half of the 2022 season with two titles (Cincinnati, Masters) and a semi-final at the US Open.
She had started the year 2023 with an elimination in the round of 16 of the Australian Open and remained on disappointing performances in Doha (defeat in the quarter-finals) and especially Dubai (elimination as soon as she entered the running).