CLUJ-NAPOCA – Anett Kontaveit defeated top seeded home hope Simona Halep to win the Transylvania Open and secure a maiden spot in the season-ending WTA Finals.
The Estonian eased to a 6-2, 6-3 victory for a fourth title of 2021, all of them coming in the last 10 weeks.
The title added to her trophies this season at Cleveland, Ostrava and Moscow.
Having won 26 of her last 28 matches, Kontaveit joins Aryna Sabalenka, Barbora Krejcikova, Karolina Pliskova, Maria Sakkari, Iga Swiatek, Garbine Muguruza and Paula Badosa in the WTA Finals in Guadalajara next month.
Elsewhere, Alexander Zverev beat American qualifier Frances Tiafoe 7-5, 6-4 in the final of the Vienna ATP tournament to claim his fifth title of the year.
The German second seed ran his record since losing in the last 16 in Wimbledon in June to 25-2 as he won in one hour and 36 minutes.
He has claimed all five finals that he has competed in this year.
Zverev broke in the fourth game of the first set but Tiafoe, the world number 49, immediately broke back.
Zverev found the breakthrough in the tense 12th game which he took after three deuces.
In the second set Zverev’s serve was rarely threatened as he produced eight aces, while he had break points against Tiafoe in the second and sixth games before finally making one count in the 10th game.
Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, signed up for both singles and doubles duty at next week’s Paris Masters, as the Serbian world number one returns to competitive action for the first time since his defeat in the US Open final to Russian Daniil Medvedev.
Djokovic, who is level with Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal on 20 major titles, has not played since coming up short last month in his bid for a calendar Grand Slam, losing in straight sets to Medvedev at Flushing Meadows.
The 34-year-old will be the top seed at the Masters 1000 event in Bercy, where he is a five-time champion, and will also team up with countryman Filip Krajinovic with an eye on some practice ahead of the Davis Cup at the end of November.
“He’s going to play with Krajinovic, his buddy from the Davis Cup,” tournament director Guy Forget told reporters.
“He said he would commit himself to play for the Davis Cup for his own country. This is why he wanted to play doubles here.
“We don’t often see him play doubles, so we’re delighted. It’s rare to see a No. 1 playing a Masters 1000 in doubles.”
After a first round bye, Djokovic will open his Paris Masters singles campaign either against Italian Fabio Fognini or Marton Fucsovics from Hungary.
US Open champion Daniil Medvedev said that he was eager to play in the Australian Open in January but could not confirm his participation if only players who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 are allowed in Melbourne.
Victoria’s premier Daniel Andrews said this week that no unvaccinated players would be permitted to play in the tournament despite Prime Minister Scott Morrison earlier telling local media they could compete but only after undergoing a two-week quarantine.
Medvedev refused to disclose his vaccine status and said he preferred to keep his medical records private, a stance similar to that of world number one Novak Djokovic.
Discussion about this post