By Adrianna Outlaw | Saturday, January 6, 2018
Elina Svitolina swept Belarusian qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich, 6-2, 6-1, to capture her 10th career title at the Brisbane International.
Photo credit: @Brisbane Tennis
Elina Svitolina is continuing her title wave in 2018.
Svitolina swept Belarusian qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich, 6-2, 6-1, to capture her 10th career title at the Brisbane International.
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"It was a tough, tough offseason," Svitolina said. "To start with a trophy is always very, very special."
It was a big week for the third-seeded Ukrainian.
Svitolina dethroned defending champion Karolina Pliskova in yesterday's semifinals, ensuring she secured the No. 4 seed for the Australian Open, which begins on January 15th.
The 23-year-old Svitolina, who won a WTA-best five titles in 2017, raced out to a 3-0 lead today dissecting the weary Sasnovich from the baseline.
The 88th-ranked Sasnovich, who was riding a seven match winning streak in nine days, was the first qualifier in the tournament's 10-year history to reach the Brisbane final.
Sasnovich could provide little resistance in the final.
Svitolina smacked 10 aces and won 86 percent of her first-serve points speeding to a 65-minute victory.
"I want to say congrats to Aliaksandra, coming through the qualifiers is always very tough and challenging,” Svitolina said. “On behalf of all the players I want to say thank you because it’s always very special to play in front of this crowd, it’s amazing.”