Smashnova wins WTA final

Modena: Anna Smashnova captured her 10th WTA career title when Tathiana Garbin retired with sunstroke during a first set tiebreaker in the Modena International final on Sunday. The fifth-seeded, 29-year-old Israeli was leading the tie break 3-0 when the unseeded Italian asked for a suspension and collapsed on a bench. The players, and a soldout crowd at Club La Meridiana, had been daring scorching sun, with temperatures reaching as high as 35 degrees celsius. Grimacing from cramps and nearly fainting, Garbin was treated by the tournament doctor and then carried on a stretcher to the club infirmary. Organisers later reported that Garbin, who lost her second of three WTA finals, had recovered from sunstroke and was out of danger. Tiebreaker shots Smashnova, ranked 61st in the world, led Garbin 5-3 in the opening set before being broken in the 10th game as the scores went level 5-5. As both players held their serve to 6-6, Garbin netted three consecutive shots in the tiebreaker before demanding the suspension which led to her retirement. Smashnova collected her tenth title in as many WTA finals, one year after her last win in Vienna. The baseliner completed the Italian tournament on clay without losing a set. The win on Sunday improved her head-to-head record with Garbin to 2-1. (AP)