Abu Dhabi: Aryna Sabalenka won her third straight tour title and 15th straight match by beating Veronika Kudermetova 6-2, 6-2 in the final of the Abu Dhabi Open tennis tournament here Wednesday. Fourth-seeded Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka had earlier won indoor tournaments in Ostrava and Linz at the end of last season. Her last loss came in the fourth round of the French Open in October.
Sabalenka will rise three places to seventh in the rankings. She is 9-4 in career finals and 6-0 in the last 16 months. Kudermetova was playing in her first tour final.
The tournament in Abu Dhabi was hastily arranged by the WTA to offer players more match time after the Australian Open was rescheduled for February amid the coronavirus pandemic. Sabalenka and Kudermetova will now travel to Australia, where they will spend time in quarantine with limited practice opportunities. Then they will participate in warm-up events before taking guard at the Australian Open.
“It has indeed been a dream run so far,” Sabalenka said after winning the final. “It gives me great confidence ahead of the Australian Open. The competition will be tougher, but I think I am ready to fight with the best,” she added.
