Haddad Maia wins in Birmingham for 2nd straight WTA title

BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil secured back-to-back WTA titles after Chinese opponent Shuai Zhang retired with an injury trailing 5-4 in the first set of the Birmingham Classic final on Sunday.

Haddad Maia hadn't won a senior title before arriving in England to play the Nottingham Open last week. Now she has two in her collection, both coming on grass courts.

The unseeded Haddad Maia and the eighth-seeded Zhang went into the final having won semifinal matches on Sunday morning — against second-seeded Simona Halep and Sorana Cirstea, respectively — after rain washed out the whole of Saturday.

Haddad Maia, who lost the first two games of the final, was preparing to serve for the first set when Zhang — who had consulted with medical staff during the changeover — walked slowly to the net and hugged her opponent. It was not immediately apparent what the injury was.

The two players teamed up to win the doubles title in Nottingham last week.

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