Top-seeded Simona Halep captured the Shenzhen Open title with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Switzerland’s Timea Bacsinszky on Saturday.
The WTA third-ranked Romanian won 82 percent of points on her first serve, broke Bacsinszky’s serve four times and didn’t face a break point in the 62-minute match.
Halep, last year’s French Open runner-up, won her ninth career title.
The eighth-seeded Bacsinszky ousted two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova to reach her third final and first since 2010.
“It’s a fantastic beginning of the year, thanks to the fans that came here to support me, it was good for me. I would like to have the same success as Na Li to the Australian Open, I want to win every match and to have a good tournament in Melbourne, but first of all I’m looking ahead to Sydney. I want to thank the organisers, the Romanians which stood beside me and my team. See you next year!” Simona Halep said after the final.
Halep received the trophy from former tennis player Na Li.
The first grand slam of the year, Australian Open, is to take place during January 19-February 1 in Melbourne.