Top seed Elina Svitolina clinched her second winner’s trophy in 2018 by defending her Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships title, confidently defeating Daria Kasatkina 6-4 6-0 in the final.
After saving multiple match points in the second round against Johanna Konta and in the semifinals against Garbine Muguruza, unseeded Kasatkina lacked consistency and energy to challenge Svitolina, who has improved to 11-2 in the WTA finals. In a battle of two counterpunchers, it was Svitolina’s forehand that stood out and the Ukrainian didn’t drop serve throughout the encounter that lasted one hour and 10 minutes.