Elise Mertens wins Samsung Open for 3rd career WTA title

LUGANO, Switzerland (AP) — Second-seeded Elise Mertens won the Samsung Open on Sunday, beating Aryna Sabalenka 7-5, 6-2 to take her third career WTA Tour title.

The 20th-ranked Belgian clinched on her first match point when the 19-year-old Sabalenka from Belarus netted a two-handed, backhand approach shot.

Mertens won her first clay-court event after winning the past two editions of the Hobart International on hard courts in Australia.

Sunday was a relatively simple end to the rain-hit tournament for the 22-year-old Mertens after her long Saturday shift of three-set victories in the quarterfinals and semifinals.

Sabalenka, ranked No. 61, is now 0-2 in tournament finals. She hit 24 winners Sunday but also had 35 unforced errors.

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