Tennis

Kuznetsova retains Kremlin Cup title for WTA Finals spot

Published Oct. 22, 2016 9:41 a.m. ET

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MOSCOW (AP) Svetlana Kuznetsova secured the last spot at the WTA Finals in Singapore after defeating Daria Gavrilova of Australia 6-2, 6-1 Saturday to retain her Kremlin Cup title.

The top-seeded Russian saved six of the seven break points she faced and converted six of her eight opportunities to beat the 38th-ranked Gavrilova in 72 minutes.

The 22-year-old Gavrilova, who knocked out 2014 champion Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the quarterfinals, was seeking her first WTA title. Kuznetsova had already won 16.

The 31-year-old Kuznetsova, who was a fixture at the season-ending finals for much of her early 20s, hadn't qualified since 2009 but she returns to take her place in the eight-player draw at the expense of Johanna Konta.

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