World number one Iga Swiatek defended her title at the Qatar Open with a straight-set victory over America’s Jessica Pegula.
The three-time major winner, from Poland, beat second seed Pegula 6-3 6-0 in just 69 minutes in Doha on Saturday.
It takes Swiatek’s head-to-head record with the world number four to 5-2.
The 21-year-old dropped just five games all week as she claimed her first WTA Tour title of 2023 and her 12th title overall.
In the first set, Swiatek went a break up at both 2-0 and 4-2 but Pegula broke back immediately each time.
However, the American failed to pull even when Swiatek broke for a 5-3 lead.
The Pole raced through the second set, winning 73% of points when returning Pegula’s second serve.
Swiatek, who beat Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit in straight sets in last year’s Qatar Open final, becomes the first player to defend a WTA Tour singles title since she won a second successive Italian Open in May.
Her victory at last year’s Qatar Open sparked a 37-match winning run which culminated in her second Grand Slam title at the French Open.
