(Reuters) -Iga Swiatek dominated American Jessica Pegula 6-1 6-0 to win the season-ending WTA Finals in Cancun on Monday and regain her world number one ranking from Aryna Sabalenka.
The Pole broke Pegula five times and won the final 11 games in a 59-minute slaughter to capture her first WTA Finals title in a match delayed by a day due to rain.
“I want to thank my team who have been with me for the whole season,” Swiatek said during the trophy ceremony.
“We’ve had many ups and downs but this is for sure an up, and we’ll have many more if we keep working like that.”
Swiatek ends the season on an 11-match winning streak and will finish the year in top spot for the second year in a row, having lost the position to Sabalenka after the U.S. Open.
Swiatek, 22, collected six out of her total 17 career titles this season as she retained the French Open crown to lift her her fourth Grand Slam trophy.
The 29-year-old Pegula, who struggled on her serve and failed to match Swiatek’s energy level, was gracious in defeat.
“Congrats on ending the year number one and winning this tournament, it’s really incredible” she said.
“You continue to push me to be a better player and I appreciate that aspect of it. I wish I could have done better today but that’s not how it goes sometimes.”
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Ken Ferris)
