Serbia's Ana Ivanovic trounced former world number one Martina Hingis 6-2 6-3 in the rain-delayed Montreal Cup final last night to capture her first Tier 1 title.
The 13th-seeded Ivanovic set the tone by breaking Hingis's serve in the first game and never looked back. She also broke the Swiss in the fifth game before wrapping up the set.
"From the first game I let her know I was going to be aggressive," Ivanovic said. "It was important to stay calm and just play some good tennis.
"I'm just happy to do it right now and I'm really, really happy and excited."
In the second set, Ivanovic recorded a key break in the seventh game and closed out the match in 58 minutes when Hingis dropped her serve again in the final game.
The 18-year-old Ivanovic's only other final appearance was when she won the low-key Tier IV event in Canberra, Australia in early 2005.
Hingis, champion in Canada in 1999 and 2000, was contesting her third final since making her comeback at the beginning of the season following a three-year hiatus.
Her sole success this year was in Rome in the run-up to the French Open.
The Swiss had never played Ivanovic competitively but as the two had practised together, Hingis was not surprised by her strong play.
"I knew she'd play very well," Hingis said. "She was very consistent today, very steady. She was just too good.
"Everything was happening a little too fast."
Hingis moved back into the top 10 in the rankings with her performance in Montreal.