Barty beats Wang to win WTA Elite Trophy final

Ashleigh Barty of Australia. (Paul Chiasson/CP)

ZHUHAI, China — Ashleigh Barty defeated Wang Qiang 6-3, 6-4 to win the WTA Elite Trophy final on Sunday.

The Australian saved four of six break points and broke Wang’s serve four times as she cruised to the biggest victory of her career.

"I know that whenever I have played (Wang) in the past, it’s always been an extremely tough match," said Barty. "There’s a tendency to have long games, whether they’re return or service games. It’s kind of grinding out those games."

The win marks the third title of Barty’s career and the second of 2018, following a win at Nottingham earlier this year.

Wang became the first Chinese player to reach the final in Zhuhai.

The tournament in Zhuhai features leading players on the women’s tour who didn’t qualify for the WTA Finals in Singapore last week.

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