Goerges makes it three titles in row

Julia Goerges won her third straight title as she clinched victory over former world No 1 Caroline Wozniacki at the ASB Classic in Auckland.

The 29-year-old German was in sparkling form, firing 41 winners and making just 23 unforced errors to win 6-4 7-6 (4-7) after 90 minutes on court.

Goerges, who was runner-up to US Open champion Sloane Stephens in 2016, won the first set with her seventh ace, having broken serve in the very first game.

She broke again in the first game of the second set, before the world No 3 fought back to force a tie-break.

With a thundering forehand proving her biggest asset, it was only fitting for second seed Goerges to seal the title with a forehand winner.

Goerges said on the WTA website: “It’s not just about winning here, but the consistency I’ve had for the last few weeks and months. That makes me prouder.”

Goerges, ranked No 14 in the world, earned her back-to-back victories at the Kremlin Cup in Moscow and the WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai, while Wozniacki won the biggest title of her career in October at the WTA Finals in Singapore.

Elsewhere on the tour, British No 2 Heather Watson came through an early scare in her second qualifying match to reach the main draw at the Hobart International.

She fought back to beat Japan’s Nao Hibino 4-6 7-5 6-3, and will face Romania’s Sorana Cirstea in the first round of a tournament she won in 2015.

Alize Cornet, the 2016 champion, was knocked out in the first round yesterday by Romania’s Mihaela Buzarnescu.