Elina Svitolina claims WTA Finals title in Singapore
World No 7 Elina Svitolina has claimed the biggest title of her career so far after winning the season-ending WTA Finals in Singapore.
The Ukrainian came from a set down to beat America's Sloane Stephens 3-6 6-2 6-2 in a two-hour, 23-minute final.
Svitolina became the first player since Serena Williams in 2013 to win all of her matches at the WTA Finals.
The 24-year-old beat defending champion Caroline Wozniacki, and Czech players Petra Kvitova and Karolina Pliskova at the group stage, before a hard-fought win over Kiki Bertens in the semi-finals.
And, having made a somewhat sluggish start to the final, Svitolina benefited from a more attacking approach in the final two sets.
Svitolina triumphed after just under two-and-a-half hours
She has now won nine straight finals and could rise three spots to fourth in the world rankings after this success.
"It's a very special moment for me, I played great tennis this week," said Svitolina.
"This is going to bring a lot of confidence, as I have finished the season on a high note."
It was a debut appearance at the WTA Finals for Stephens, who said: "Not the way I wanted to finish, but I worked really hard to get here and I can be really proud of my results."
It ended the tournament's five-year run in Singapore, with the season-finale moving to Shenzhen in 2019.
