Sabalenka defeats Kontaveit to claim Wuhan Open title

Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday topped Anett Kontaveit of Estonia 6-3, 6-3 to claim the Wuhan Open title, her second triumph this season following the Connecticut Open.

At 20 years old, Sabalenka became the youngest player ever to clinch a title at the Premier 5 level or above, reports Efe news.

With her biggest title now under her belt, Sabalenka is set to climb four spots to world No. 16 in the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) rankings, to be issued on Monday, while Kontaveit will likely ascend to world No. 21 from 27th.

Sabalenka needed one hour and 12 minutes to earn her first career win against Kontaveit.

After recovering from a nervous start, Sabalenka went on the attack, and Kontaveit was no match for her power.

Sabalenka overwhelmed her opponent, striking a total of 25 winners, nearly double the 10 winners Kontaveit fired.

The title win is the culmination of the excellent form Sabalenka has displayed throughout her first tournament appearance.

On her way to the final, Sabalenka defeated sixth-seed Elina Svitlina of Ukraine and Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia, a former top-ten player.

--IANS

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