Elise Mertens wins seventh WTA title in Monastir

The fifth seed romped to a 6-2, 6-0 victory in 80 minutes against Cornet, the third seed, in the inaugural tournament in Tunisia. Mertens broke for a 3-2 lead in the first set, reeling off 11 straight games to wrap up the match.

It was the 26-year-old's first title since Melbourne last February and her first final since April 2021. Cornet, 32, had advanced to the final without dropping a set and had also been targeting her seventh career title but first since Gstaad in 2018.

The Monastir event is just the second WTA tournament organised in Africa, after that of Rabat in Morocco.