Sawt Falasteen - Samsonova beats Sasnovich to win WTA Cleveland title

World number 45 Samsonova downed 36th-ranked Sasnovich 6-1, 6-3 in 72 minutes to make the Cleveland crown her third in as many WTA finals appearances.

"I was feeling so good here," said Samsonova after extending her career-best win streak.

Samsonova, who didn't drop a set in her championship run, also captured last year's German Open title and three weeks ago took the Washington Open trophy.

"She's a great player already," Sasnovich said of Samsonova. "For me, top 10. I tried to do my best but Liuda was better."

Sasnovich, a 28-year-old from Belarus, and Samsonova, a 23-year-old Russian, cannot represent their homelands due to tour rules imposed after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"We were both without the flag," Samsonova told the crowd. "I think it's important to spend a minute to say we are both good people and you are amazing people so thank you."

Sasnovich fell to 0-4 in career WTA finals, having also lost in 2015 at Seoul, 2018 at Brisbane and last January in an Australian Open tuneup event at Melbourne.

The event was final preparation event for the year's final Grand Slam tournament, which begins Monday in New York.

Samsonova begins the US Open against 194th-ranked Sara Bejlek of the Czech Republic with Canada's 14th-seeded Leylah Fernandez, last year's US Open runner-up, a possible second-round foe.

L.AbuAli--SF-PST