Simona Halep upset defending champion Petra Kvitova 6-2 6-2 on Saturday to win the New Haven Open, the final WTA tuneup for next week’s US Open.
The 21-year-old Halep broke the 2011 Wimbledon champion on four consecutive service games. The first break gave her a 3-2 lead in the first set. The fourth put her up 3-0 in the second as she took complete control of the match.
She converted four of her five break points. Kvitova, ranked ninth in the world, was 0-for-4 on her break chances.
It was Halep’s fourth career win, and all of them have come since June. The No. 23 ranked player in the world is now 29-5 in her last 34 matches (31-5 counting qualifying matches). She took home $US117,000 ($A130,529.37) for winning.