Moscow, Russia (SportsNetwork.com) - Romanian Simona Halep captured her fifth title of the year with a straight-set victory over Australian Samantha Stosur in the final of the Kremlin Cup.
The 22-year-old fifth seed took down former U.S. Open champion Stosur by a 7-6 (7-1), 6-2 score. Halep did not drop a set all week.
Halep had a breakout summer, first with victories in consecutive weeks in June at Nuremburg and Den Bosch, then with a title in Budapest in July and another in August in New Haven.
"I've been playing more aggressively this year, hitting the ball very strong, and I'm more relaxed on the court and have been focusing much better on every point," Halep said. "I still have a few things I want to improve, but I will work on them in the off-season. I'm very happy with how I'm playing now.
"It's been an incredible year for me. I've won five titles now. I feel incredible."
The seventh-seeded Stosur, who lost to Caroline Wozniacki in last year's final, was trying for her second consecutive tournament triumph. The Aussie won last week in Osaka for her fifth career title. She had a nine-match win streak snapped Sunday.
Stosur came into Sunday's match with a 3-1 lifetime record against Halep.
Halep took home $132,470 with the victory.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.