By Tennis Now | Saturday, February 24, 2018
Top-seeded Elina Svitolina did not drop serve sweeping Daria Kasatkina, 6-4, 6-0, to successfully defend her Dubai championship.
Photo credit: Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships
A sharp Elina Svitolina crushed a weary Daria Kasatkina, 6-4, 6-0, successfully defending her Dubai championship in style.
The top-seeded Svitolina joins select company as just the third woman to defend the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships crown.
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Svitolina joins former world No. 1 players Justine Henin (2003-2004) and Venus Williams (2009-2010) as the only women to win back-to-back Dubai championships.
The 23-year-old Ukrainian collected her 11th career title, including her second in four tournaments this year. Svitolina opened the season winning Brisbane.
Taking the ball on the rise, Svitolina whipped her inside-out forehand to good effect earning the first break for 3-2.
The 20-year-old Kasatkina showed stiff competitive spine fighting off three match points in the second-set tie break upsetting Wimbledon champion Garbiñe Muguruza 3-6, 7-6 (11), 6-1, to reach her first final of the season.
That came after Kasatkina denied two match points in the second-set tie break of her 4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-2 win over seventh-seeded Johanna Konta in a three-hour thriller on Wednesday night.
The world No. 24 was in denial again fending off three set points in the ninth game today including a stretched forehand winner eliciting a roar from fans.
Shrugging off the counter-puncher's determined stand, Svitolina served out the set calmly.
The wear and tear from fighting through nine hours and five minutes on court to reach her third final took a physical toll on Kasatkina, whose unforced error output piled up.
The fourth-ranked Svitolina beat Kasatkina for the third time in has many meetings, raising her 2018 record to 14-2.