STUTTGART – World number one Ashleigh Barty earned her third WTA title this year by defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the final of Stuttgart's clay-court tournament on Sunday.
After winning in Miami and a pre-Australian Open event in Melbourne on hard court, Barty added the Stuttgart title, her first tournament on clay this season, as the 2019 French Open winner gears up for Roland Garros next month.
A day after her 25th birthday, the Australian rallied from losing the first set to claim a 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 over Sabalenka, who needed a medical time-out after the second set for a leg injury.
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Despite playing the third with her right leg strapped, Sabalenka even broke Barty at 3-1 in the decider, but the 22-year-old ultimately failed to add Stuttgart to January's triumph in Abu Dhabi.
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AFP