Elena Vesnina wins first WTA title in Hobart

Hobart: Russia`s Elena Vesnina won the first WTA singles title of her career here Saturday, beating Mona Barthel of Germany in straight sets in the final.

World No. 68 Vesnina, who had lost her six previous WTA finals, defeated ninth seed Barthel 6-3, 6-4 in a match that saw seven breaks of serve. Vesnina was helped by accurate serving, winning 78 percent of points on her first serve. On the way to winning the tournament, Vesnina had earlier beaten seeded players Yaroslava Shvedova and Sloane Stephens. The $235,000 Hobart International is one of the last two WTA warm-up events for the Australian Open, which starts Monday. In Melbourne, Vesnina will play France`s Caroline Garcia in the first round, while Barthel is seeded 32nd and faces Kazakhstan`s Ksenia Pervak. IANS