Goerges ends 6-year title wait with victory at Kremlin Cup

Julia Goerges of Germany plays a shot to Daria Kasatkina of Russia during the final match at the Kremlin Cup tennis tournament in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017. (Pavel Golovkin/AP)

MOSCOW — Julia Goerges ended her six-year wait for another WTA singles title by defeating Daria Kasatkina 6-1, 6-2 in the Kremlin Cup final on Saturday.

The German swept the first five games before Kasatkina got on the board.

Kasatkina put up more resistance at the start of the second, forcing three break points in Goerges’ first service game, but couldn’t convert them and was broken in the next game.

This was Goerges’ third title in 10 finals. Her last was in 2011 in Stuttgart. Before Saturday, she lost six straight finals, including three in the space of two months in mid-year.

The men’s final on Sunday will pit sixth-seeded Damir Dzumhur against unseeded Ricardas Berankis after they won their semifinals.

Dzumhur won an all-Bosnian matchup against Mirza Basic 6-0, 7-6 (9), while Berankis of Lithuania recovered from a set down to beat third-seeded Adrian Mannarino of France 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.

Dzumhur won his only ATP title last month in St. Petersburg, Russia. Berankis has never won a title and lost his only final in 2012 in Los Angeles.

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