TENNIS

TOP SEED Simona Halep won her second successive title, albeit after a gap of six months, as she beat Belgium’s Elise Mertens 6-2, 7-5 in the Prague Open.

The Romanian world No2 was playing her first event since winning in Dubai in February.

She went close to defeat by Polona Hercog in the first round before beating Barbora Krejcikova and Irina-Camelia Begu. Mertens took the first two games in the final before Halep won seven in a row.