Melbourne Summer Set: Simona Halep, Amanda Anisimova lift titles

Number two seed Simona Halep has fine-tuned her Australian Open preparations in style, continuing her resurgence as she lifted the 23rd WTA singles title of her career, and first in Australia at Melbourne Park on Sunday.

The Romanian at the Melbourne Summer Set 1 final thrashed No.3 seed Veronika Kudermetova by 6-2, 6-3. This is her first trophy in 15 months, after an injury-afflicted season. Prior to this week, Halep last lifted a trophy at Rome 2020.

Halep improves to 23-18 in WTA finals overall; while Kudermetova, who claimed her maiden title in Charleston last April, falls to 1-2.

Earlier, Amanda Anisimova of the United States picked up her second career WTA singles title in a three-set thriller at Melbourne Summer Set 2 on Sunday, defeating Belarusian qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich 7-5, 1-6, 6-4.

In the first WTA singles final of the season, World No.78 Anisimova needed 2 hours and 9 minutes to triumph. The American had to fight back from a breakdown in the third set before prevailing over 107th-ranked Sasnovich, who was seeking her maiden WTA singles title in her third career final.

( With inputs from ANI )

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