Bastad, Sweden (SportsNetwork.com) - Mona Barthel of Germany earned her first title of the year with a straight-set victory over South Africa's Chanelle Scheepers in the final at the Swedish Open.
Barthel posted a 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) victory on Sunday for her third career title. She has now won one tournament in each of the last three years, having captured the Hobart crown in 2012 and the Paris Indoors last year.
"It's been an amazing week for me. I cannot believe I won the title," said Barthel. "It was like a perfect week for me. I was fighting a lot. In some matches I was behind, and I was just fighting for every point. I'm just happy everything worked out. I love this tournament so much."
Ranked 61st in the world, Barthel has had her struggles this year. She has suffered nine first-round exits, including a run of seven in a row from February through mid-May.
Scheepers, ranked 91st in the world, was trying for her second title in as many career finals. She won her lone previous title match in Guangzhou back in 2011.
Barthel, who earned a first prize of $43,000, evened the lifetime series against Scheepers at 2-2. She also won the most recent matchup, a straight-set triumph at Hobart in 2013.
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