Mertens claims Lugano title

Following her win at Hobart earlier in the year, Elise Mertens took a second title of the season at the Ladies Open Lugano.

Elise Mertens claimed her second WTA title of the year with victory over Aryna Sabalenka in the final of the Ladies Open Lugano on Sunday.

The Belgian was victorious at the Hobart International in January - defending a title she also won in 2017 - and added a third career crown with a 7-5 6-2 win in Switzerland.

Adverse weather conditions had made for a difficult week, with Mertens having to come through back-to-back three-set matches on Saturday to reach the final.

But the 22-year-old showed no ill-effects as she wrapped up victory in 84 minutes, breaking her Belarusian opponent on four occasions.

Sabalenka pulled a break back after falling behind in the first set but an unforced-error count of 35 ultimately cost her in a match in which she also hit 24 winners.