Svitolina wins Strasbourg tournament for 1st title since becoming a mom

STRASBOURG, France (AP) — Two-time Grand Slam semifinalist Elina Svitolina won her first WTA title in nearly two years — and first since becoming a mother — by beating Anna Blinkova 6-2, 6-3 in the final at the Internationaux de Strasbourg on Saturday.

Svitolina and her husband, tennis player Gael Monfils, became parents in October. Svitolina returned to the tour in April. Once ranked as high as No. 3, Svitolina entered the week at No. 508 and is the lowest-ranked woman to win a tour title since an unranked Kim Clijsters at the 2009 U.S. Open.

It is the 28-year-old Svitolina's 17th title. She won the WTA Finals in 2018 and reached the semifinals at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 2019.

Fresh off a clay-court title, Svitolina now heads to Paris to compete in the French Open.

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