The week following the US Open brought us two new champions – Kirsten Flipkens and Irina-Camelia Begu.

At the US Open, Belgium's Kirsten Flipkens fell to top seed and eventual runner-up Victoria Azarenka in the second round, but at this week's Bell Challenge in Quebec City, the top seed was her first victim, Dominika Cibulkova. After taking the Slovakian out in the first round, Flipkens defeated Mirjana Lucic, Anna Tatishvili, third seed Mona Barthel in the semis and finally Lucie Hradecka 6-1 7-5 for her first title on the WTA Tour.

On Saturday, unseeded Irina-Camelia Begu, who upset Caroline Wozniacki in the opening round of the US Open, lifted the Tashkent Open trophy by ending the surprise run of 16-year-old qualifier Donna Vekic, who was playing her first WTA main draw and became one of the youngest WTA finalists. To win the $37,000 title, Begu, the 2011 Newcomer of the Year, defeated three seeded players in a row. After Akgul Amanmuradova, Begu's victims were third seed Alize Cornet, eighth seed Galina Voskoboeva, second seed Urszula Radwanska and finally in the title match the young Vekic, 6-4 6-4. (photo: © Neal Trousdale)

World No.75 Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic won her first WTA title with a 4-6 6-1 6-0 victory over Marina Erakovic of New Zealand in the Bell Challenge final, in Quebec City. Strycova was once runner-up, last year at Prague, while Erakovic played her first final.

Sixth-seeded Zahlavova Strycova dropped serve in the beginning of the match and even though she soon broke back, in the ninth game Erakovic broke her again and held to win the first set. Zahlavova-Strycova then rushed to victory, winning 12 of the last 13 games.

En route to the $220,000 Bell Challenge title and a prize of $37,000, Zahlavova-Strycova defeated Zhang Shuai in the first round, Mirjana Lucic in the second, Andrea Hlavackova in the quarterfinals, Michaella Krajicek in the semis, and finally Erakovic, who had upset the tournament's top seed Daniela Hantuchova 6-4 6-4 in quarters. (source: AFP, photo: © Neal Trousdale)

Qualifier Tamira Paszek defeated Bethanie Mattek Sands in the final of the Bell Challenge in Quebec City to win her second Sony Ericsson WTA Tour title and her first one since Portoroz in 2006.

The 19-year-old Paszek, who reached her career-high of No.35 in July 2007 (the year she played the fourth round of both Wimbledon and US Open), advanced to the Bell Challenge final without losing a set. Against Mattek Sands she saved two set points in the first set and overcame a 3-1 deficit in the third set to win 7-6(6) 2-6 7-5. The Bell Challenge is the tournament where Mattek Sands played her first final in 2008, and lost it in another three-setter to Nadia Petrova.

The victory returned Paszek to the Top 100, from No.151 to No.92. (source: Sony Ericsson WTA Tour)

Hungarian Melinda Czink defeated Czech Lucie Safarova 4-6 6-3 7-5 in the all-lefty Bell Challenge final to claim her maiden title on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.

The world No.52 Czink, ranked two places below her opponent, was playing her second career singles final. In her first, at Canberra in January 2005, she lost to Ana Ivanovic. Safarova, on the other hand, was playing her seventh final, and after today’s loss she is 4-3 in career finals.

Winning the tournament, the 26-year-old Czink has collected $37,000. (photo courtesy of Women Who Serve)

Defending champion Nadia Petrova had to retire from her quarterfinal match at the Bell Challenge due to a viral illness.

The top-seeded Petrova was playing against fifth seed Melinda Czink, and retired after losing the first set tiebreak.

The Hungarian will play home hope Aleksandra Wozniak, seeded third, for a place in Sunday's final. (source: Sky Sports, photo courtesy of Women Who Serve)