Samsonova beats Sasnovich in Cleveland for 2nd title in row

By BRIAN DULIK
Associated Press

CLEVELAND (AP) — Liudmila Samsonova of Russia won her second straight WTA Tour title, beating seventh-seeded Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus 6-1, 6-3 in the championship match at Tennis in The Land. Samsonova, ranked No. 45 in the world, did not lose a set in five matches at the U.S. Open tuneup in Cleveland. She claimed the Citi Open crown in Washington, D.C. three weeks ago and heads to New York with a career-long 10 match winning streak. No. 36 Sasnovich was seeking her initial WTA championship, but never held the lead in the 72-minute final on the stadium court at Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica.