(Photo credit score: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)
Second-seeded Iga Swiatek collected her fifth championship this season and sixteenth of her profession with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Liudmila Samsonova on Sunday within the ultimate of the China Open in Beijing.
Swiatek, the world’s No. 2 participant, grew to become the primary participant since Serena Williams to seize a minimum of 5 titles in consecutive seasons. Williams final achieved the feat in 2014 and 2015.
Swiatek, 22, additionally grew to become the one participant to win a minimum of six WTA 1000 titles previous to the age of 23, eclipsing the entire of 5 by Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki.
Swiatek made quick work of Samsonova after snapping U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff’s 16-match successful streak within the semifinals. On Sunday, the Poland native transformed all 4 break factors to win the match in 69 minutes.
It was a gratifying win for Swiatek, who was knocked out of the U.S. Open within the Round of 16 and misplaced within the quarterfinals on the Toray Pan Pacific in Tokyo final week.
“You could feel that we are playing a final because it was a little bit tense, I would say,” Swiatek mentioned after the match. “But I’m joyful that I type of adjusted to what Liudmila was taking part in. I wished to essentially be in step with what I wished to do irrespective of how she’s doing.
“I’m happy that I won because, for sure, this is really big for me. Winning this title is something that I never would have thought at the beginning of the tournament about. I’m pretty proud of myself.”
Swiatek improved to 3-0 all-time versus Samsonova after the 24-year-old Russian’s drop shot sailed into the web on match level.
Swiatek sits solely 630 factors behind World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus for the highest spot within the rankings.
Despite the loss, Samsonova’s run of success in China will propel her into the Top 20 within the newest WTA rankings on Monday.
“I think this is what she’s doing the best because this is the stress that she made to other players, that she doesn’t make unforced errors,” Samsonova mentioned of Swiatek. “Every time you need to do something more. It’s not real what you feel, but she makes you feel like this. This is what I learned today.”
To attain the second WTA 1000 ultimate of the season, Samsonova defeated Wimbledon champion and No. 5 seed Elena Rybakina 7-6 (7), 6-3 on Saturday.
–Field Level Media