Fourth-seeded Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan recorded a 6-1, 6-7 (2), 6-1 victory over eighth-seeded Russian Liudmila Samsonova on Saturday in the final at the Internationaux de Strasbourg in France.
Rybakina, 25, registered 16 aces to dispatch Samsonova in two hours and 16 minutes. She secured her ninth career WTA Tour title and first since April 2024, which came at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.
Rybakina bolted out to a fast start, winning five straight games en route to capturing the first set. Samsonova showed some resolve and eventually won the second-set tiebreak, however Rybakina answered by posting breaks in the second and sixth games of the third set to put away her foe.
Rybakina will turn her attention to the French Open, where she is seeded 12th and faces Argentinian qualifier Julia Riera in the first round. Samsonova, seeded 19th, will play Mayar Sherif of Egypt.
Grand Prix Sar La Princesse Lalla Meryem
Teenager Maya Joint captured her maiden WTA Tour title by coasting to a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian in the final in Rabat, Morocco.
Joint, 19, benefited from five double faults from Cristian to win that match in 80 minutes. The Australian also won the doubles title in Morocco.
Joint and Cristian both will compete in the French Open, which begins Sunday. Joint drew fellow Aussie Ajla Tomljanovic in the first round, while Cristian will meet another Australian, Kimberly Birrell.
–Field Level Media
