Serena Williams wins Cincinnati final

Serena Williams won her 69th WTA title with a straight sets win over Simona Halep in the Western and Southern Open final in Cincinnati on Sunday.

The 33-year-old won 6-3 7-6 (7-5) to see off Romania’s Halep, 23, who had already secured second seeding for the US Open by reaching the final.

Having lost five of her six previous matches against Williams, the 23-year-old American needed something special to stem the tide but was unable to prevent the world number one from breaking again.

The Romanian gave her regular army of fans something to cheer about when she finally capitalised on numerous break point chances coming back from a set down though Williams held firm to win the final.

The world number one’s last defeat in a final was in Cincinnati in 2013, but she has since become unbeatable in the decisive matches.

The win is Williams 15th in a final lifting her fifth trophy of the year – the most of any player on the WTA Tour this year.

It is also the 69th career title putting her in sole fifth-place in the Open era.

Source: Reuters