MADRID, 7 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Kazakh tennis player Elena Rybakina has conquered the Brisbane tournament (Australia), in the WTA 500 category, after overwhelming this Sunday in the final the world number two, the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka (6-0, 6-3), while that the American Coco Gauff has defended her title in Auckland (New Zealand) by coming back against the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina (6-7(4), 6-3, 6-3).
Rybakina, number four in the world, thus achieves the sixth title of her career and the first of the season, ending Sabalenka's streak of 15 consecutive victories on ocean soil and making up for her defeat against her in the final of the last Open. Australia.
Both tennis players entered this Sunday's final duel without having lost a set in Brisbane, although it was Rybakina, fourth in the world, who extended her love affair with the competition by taking a 5-0 lead after just 20 minutes and closing the partial in 24 with a 'rosco'.
Two new breaks, one by the world number two, allowed the Kazakh to also take the second set and the title after one hour and 13 minutes of play.
For her part, Gauff confirmed her status as number one seed in Auckland to defeat the second favorite and number 25 in the WTA ranking, Elina Svitolina (6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-3), all in a match in which he lost the first set in the tie-break.
The North American, world number three and current US Open champion, needed two hours and 35 minutes to defeat her rival and win the seventh individual title of her career. After falling in the first set, she recorded three breaks in a second set in which she tied the contest, and a solitary break in the third gave her the final victory.
Thus, Gauff becomes the fourth player to win consecutive titles in Auckland, joining Patty Fendick (1988 and 1989), Eleni Daniilidou (2003 and 2004) and Julia Goerges (2018 and 2019).