ROME (Sky Sports) - World number one Iga Swiatek defended her Italian Open title with a dominant performance over Ons Jabeur, beating her 6-2 6-2.
The Polish 20-year-old got off to a fast start in both sets, denying Tunisia’s Jabeur, 27, many chances to get into her stride.
After a challenging path to the final, Jabeur seemed fatigued and struggled with her serve in the second set.
Swiatek has now won 28 matches in a row and five consecutive tournaments.
Jabeur, who became the first African woman to win a WTA 1000 title in Madrid last week, mounteda late comeback attempt, breaking Swiatek at 4-0 in the second set to win two games in a row.
It was a brief respite, as Swiatek saved three break points to stop Jabeur’s momentum - and dropped to her knees in tears on winning championship point.
Despite Jabeur’s own 11-match winning streak coming to an end, the Tunisian will rise to a career-high ranking of world number six.