Melinda Czink (right) and Lucie Safarova with their Quebec Challenge Bell trophies. Photo via www.sonyericssonwtatour.com

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A tournament filled with routs and injury pullouts had a pretty nice finish out of nowhere, as fifth seed Melinda Czink defeated Lucie Safarova 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in the finals of the Challenge Bell in Quebec City.

Czink's second wind is proving to be much stronger than the first.  Having dropped well outside the top hundred for a few years, she is now at an all-time high of #37.  She had previously won an astonishing 18 ITF level challenger titles, but this first WTA crown certainly validates her as a legitimate presence in the game's upper echelon.

While her boyfriend Tomas Berdych had a better weekend, it's still a nice showing from Safarova to make the finals, and to be two games away from the title.  She's as hit-or-miss as they come, but if Lucie can manage to keep the missing to a minimum she can regain her place as a dangerous floater.

Aside from marking the end of the year for North American tournaments, the biggest takeaway from this event will probably be the trophies.  They look like the plastic toy racquets you might give a toddler.  A far more suitable gift for Jada Lynch-Clijsters than for a tournament winner, don't you think?