Aryna Sabalenka beat Anett Kontaveit 6-3 6-3 to lift her second WTA trophy in the past two months and her maiden title at Premier 5 level in the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open without dropping a set.
Sabalenka has continued her excellent period of form, in which she collected 25 wins in her past 32 matches.
Kontaveit made a double fault to face the first break point of the match, which Sabalenka converted with a forehand dropshot in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead. Sabalenka backed up the break in the next game and converted her second set point, when Kontaveit hit a forehand. Sabalenka hit 10 winners in the 37-minute first set.
Sabalenka did not face a single break point in the whole match and won 63 % of her first serve points.
Kontaveit saved two break points in the third game of the second set. In the seventh game Sabalenka earned three break points with a crosscourt forehand. She hit a backhand return down the line to break at love for 4-3 in the seventh game.
The Belarusian player earned a match point with a backhand volley and clinched the biggest title of her young career with a forehand down the line after 72 minutes.
The 20-year-old player from Belarus has become the youngest player to lift a Premier 5 title one month after winning the Connecticut Cup in New Haven, where she defeated Carla Suarez Navarro.
“I always play well here. It’s nice to be here. I always like to come back to Wuhan. Thank you everyone who supported me. It’s been an amazing week for me”,said Sabalenka.
Both players will improve their best ranking. Sabalenka will climb to world number 16 in the WTA Ranking and to number 11 in the WTA Road to Singapore. Kontaveit will improve to world number 22. Earlier this year the Estonian player reached the semifinals in Rome.
“Congratulations to Aryna. She played amazing today. I did everything I could. It was a really good tournament for me. I am happy overall.
