Navarro claims Merida Open title with dominant double bagel win over Arango

Top seed Emma Navarro effortlessly triumphed over Colombian qualifier Emiliana Arango, securing a decisive 6-0, 6-0 victory in the final of the Merida Open on Sunday, thereby earning her second career title.

Ranked tenth in the world, Navarro, who previously claimed the WTA 250 Hobart International title last year, required only 55 minutes to secure her first WTA 500 trophy, completing a remarkable tournament run in which she did not lose a single set.

With her formidable serve and powerful groundstrokes, Navarro prevented Arango from reaching a break point, while the US Open semi-finalist won 71% of points on return.

Navarro became the fifth player this century to achieve a WTA final victory with a scoreline of 6-0, 6-0, and the first since Iga Swiatek's win over Karolina Pliskova at the 2021 Italian Open.

Arango, who is set to achieve a career-high singles world ranking of 80 on Monday, struggled to find her rhythm after a nearly three-hour semi-final match against fellow qualifier Daria Saville late on Saturday.

The Colombian, currently ranked 133rd in the world, reached the final on the strength of an 11-match winning streak, which included her victory at the WTA 125 Cancun Open last week, but had to endure three-set matches in each of her last three encounters.

SportsLigue