Kuznetsova wins Kremlin Cup, qualifies for WTA Finals

Svetlana Kuznetsova has won her second straight Kremlin Cup title, beating Australian Daria Gavrilova.

The Russian took a little more than an hour to defeat Gavrilova 6-2 6-1 in Moscow on Saturday, which qualifies her for the WTA finals in Singapore.

Kuznetsova will next face world No.3 Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland in Monday’s group stages.

The top-seeded Russian saved six of the seven break points she faced and converted six of her eight opportunities to beat the 38th-ranked Gavrilova in 72 minutes.

Melbourne-based Gavrilova, playing in her home town of Moscow, made it to her first WTA final after dispatching Germany’s Julia Goerges 7-5 6-1 in the semis.

Whilte the 22-year-old, who knocked out 2014 champion Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the quarter-finals, was seeking her first WTA title – Kuznetsova has already won 16.

The 31-year-old Kuznetsova, who was a fixture at the season-ending finals for much of her early 20s, hadn’t qualified since 2009 but she returns to take her place in the eight-player draw at the expense of Johanna Konta.