Putintseva charges to second career title in Budapest

No.1 seed Yulia Putintseva capped off her week at the Hungarian Grand Prix with a dominant performance in the final, dispatching Anhelina Kalinina, 6-4, 6-0, to win her second career WTA singles title.

Putintseva of Kazakhstan needed an hour and ten minutes to storm past Ukraine's Kalinina and add a trophy to the one she claimed at 2019 Nurnberg, another clay-court event where she was also the top seed.

"I’m very happy to win my second trophy on clay," Putintseva said, during the trophy ceremony.

This week featured Putintseva's first trip to a WTA semifinal and final since that title run in Nurnberg just over two years ago, and the World No.42 would make the most of her moment, converting five of her eight break points to execute a commanding victory.

Overall, Putintseva fired 17 winners to 11 from Kalinina. 24-year-old Kalinina, who reached her first WTA quarterfinal, semifinal, and final this week, came unglued with 34 unforced errors at the end of her career-best week.

The loss in the final ends a breakthrough run for Kalinina, who had won her previous 14 matches on clay, including two Challenger titles. World No.95 Kalinina made her Top 100 debut in the most recent WTA singles rankings released on Monday.

Putintseva eased to a quick lead in the first set, using her signature dropshot wizardry for winners on break points in Kalinina’s first two service games. At 3-0, Putintseva handed one break back with a pair of double faults, but the Kazakh held on through some lengthy service games from there, and claimed the one-set advantage.

Top-seeded Putintseva had no problems in the second set as her outstanding footspeed and clay-court craft drew errors from the less experienced Kalinina. Putintseva never faced a break point in the second set, and while Kalinina had a glimmer of hope at 0-30 in the final game, the Kazakh powered her way out of that jam as she picked up a seventh straight game to claim the crown.

Putintseva, a three-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist, now heads to the Summer Olympics in Tokyo on a five-match winning streak.

"I’m very confident right now, and I’m going to Tokyo with five wins behind my back," Putintseva said. "It’s very important. I need to adapt quick for the surface because it’s going to be different, but I’m ready for anything."