Elena Rybakina has enjoyed a stellar 2020 season with three WTA finals in four tournaments she’s played so far this year, but the Russian-born Kazakh, who is projected to debut in the Top 20 on Monday, was not a threat to Kiki Bertens in the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy championship, as the Dutch cruised to her second straight title at the Premier-level tournament.
After the eighth-seeded Rybakina held serve to open the encounter, the second-seeded Bertens won six games in a row to win the first set. In the beginning of the second set, Rybakina wasted her first break points, four in total, and later on one more, as Bertens eased to the title without dropping serve in the final, 6-1 6-3. The world No.25 Rybakina raised her level in the second set, but the master of indoor tennis was better in crucial moments and clinched the 10th WTA title of her career.
Besides Rybakina, the list of the 28-year-old Bertens’ victims in St. Peterburg includes Russian Veronika Kudermetova in the second round, Anastasia Potapova in the quarterfinals, and Ekaterina Alexandrova in the semis.
Bertens’ winning kit: the Fila Play Racerback Tank in green ash, Fila Play A-Line Skirt in amparo blue, and matching Fila Axilus 2 Energized tennis shoes.
