Sunday 31 July 2016 20:47, UK
Simona Halep took advantage of an error-prone Madison Keys to win her 14th WTA title in the Rogers Cup in Montreal on Sunday.
The fifth seed Halep stumbled through an erratic opening set that featured eight breaks of serve before breezing the tie-break.
Spurred on by a large group of fans, Romania's Halep then broke her 10th-seeded opponent again in the second game of the second to tighten her grip.
Keys struggled to deal with her opponent's serve as Halep sealed the 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 victory in one hour 16 minutes after the 21-year-old American dumped a forehand into the net.
"It means a lot, it was really nice to win," Halep said. "I had, I can say, bad memories from last year that I had to finish the match and to stop it, so I am happy that I could win.
"I feel tired, I feel that I have no more power but it's a nice feeling and I gave it everything to win this title.
"I tried, I just wanted to be a little bit aggressive but I couldn't. In the end, I just wanted to be solid. I did it and it was a great win for me against her."
Sunday's triumph wasn't a pretty affair as Halep hit just four winners against Keys who was playing in her first career hardcourt tournament final.
It was an impressive and satisfying display for Halep who lost to Belinda Bencic in the final a year ago after falling ill in the third set. It was also the Romanian's third tournament win this year and the 14th of her career.
Halep, who became the first player to reach back-to-back finals in the event since Jennifer Capriati in 2001 and 2002. will now jump to third in the WTA rankings having won 10 consecutive matches, including victory at her home tournament in Bucharest.
