Swiatek beats Sabalenka to win second straight Stuttgart title

BERLIN - World number one Iga Swiatek defeated Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets to win her second consecutive Stuttgart Open on Sunday.

Swiatek eased past her second-ranked Belarusian opponent 6-3, 6-4 on the clay to give her a great boost ahead of her French Open title defence in May.

The US Open champion broke serve late in the first set and in the opening game of the second to clinch an impressive victory in what was a rematch of last year's final.

The 21-year-old Pole is the first player to win back-to-back Stuttgart titles since Angelique Kerber in 2015 and 2016.

It was the first time a world number one had faced the world number two on clay since the 2013 French Open final, when Serena Williams triumphed over Maria Sharapova.- AFP