Elina Svitolina retained her Italian Open WTA title with a dominant display against an out-of-sorts Simona Halep in Rome on Sunday.
The Ukrainian world No.4 collected her third title of 2018 with a 6-0 6-4 victory in 67 minutes with a commanding and confident performance over a dismayed Halep.
It was a rematch of the 2017 final where Svitolina lost the first set but stormed back for a 4-6 7-5 6-1 victory but this year's edition was very one-sided.
Svitolina, who lifted titles in Dubai and Brisbane earlier this year, raced ahead collecting 16 of the first 22 points for an astonishing 4-0 head start against the world No.1.
Halep's confidence was shot and her ground strokes were flat as Svitolina wrapped up a whitewash first set in 19 minutes.
A shaky performance on serve was enough to see Halep claim the opening game of the second set as the 26-year-old Romanian planned to recover from her poor beginnings.
However, Svitolina produced a fierce forehand after a lengthy rally to set up another break of serve, which was ecstatically celebrated by the 23-year-old with Halep completely distraught.
One consolation for Halep is that she will enter the French Open next week with her number one ranking in tact as she prepares to mount a challenge for a maiden Grand Slam title at Roland Garros on May 27.
Halep complained of some discomfort as she called for the physiotherapist and opted for a medical timeout.
Her mood and movement improved slightly after she returned but there was no signs of a drastic turnaround as Svitolina reclaimed her Italian Open crown.
