Yulia hopes to join the Lucky Four

Kazakhstans Yulia Putintseva reacts during the final match against Frances Kristina Mladenovic during the WTA Saint Petersburg Ladies Trophy 2017 tennis tournament between France and Kazakhstan at the Sibur Arena in Saint Petersburg on February 5, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / OLGA MALTSEVA

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia seems to be a happy hunting ground for players seeking their first career titles on the WTA Tour.

Four of the past six Malaysian Open winners – Russia’s Alisa Kleybanova (2010), Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei (2012), the Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova (2013) and Croatia’s Donna Vekic (2014) – all won their maiden titles here.