Saturday 9 January 2016 11:45, UK
Agnieszka Radwanska claimed her 18th WTA title by easing to a 6-3 6-2 victory over Alison Riske in the Shenzhen Open final.
Radwanska, who was the top seed for the Chinese tournament, had not dropped a set on her run to the final and her serve proved the key factor as she overcame unseeded Riske in an hour and 16 minutes.
Radwanska had ensured she will replace Russia's Maria Sharapova at No 4 in the world rankings by reaching the final and as a result she will be seeded fourth for the Australian Open later this month.
"I think Alison was really playing solid tennis today," Radwanska said. "She has a very powerful game from the baseline, I was really struggling from the baseline. I was really in a lot of trouble there.
"But my serve really helped me today. Also, in the deciding points, I was a little bit better and I think that's why the score was the way it was - it made it look easier than the actual match was."
Radwanska showed steady improvement last year, winning titles in Tokyo and Tianjin before she claimed her first WTA Finals crown in Singapore in November when she overcame Petra Kvitova in three sets.
The former world No 2 will now head to Sydney for her final warm-up event before the first grand slam of the season in Melbourne.
"It's the beginning of the year, so we're all fresh compared to the end of the year. I'm feeling good," the 26-year-old said.
"Also I have a bye there [Sydney], so I'll have a couple of days off right now."
