Larsson wins first WTA title

Bastad - Sweden's Johanna Larsson captured her first WTA title with a 6-3, 7-6 (7/2) win over defending champion Mona Barthel in the Swedish Open on Sunday.

Fourth-seeded Barthel, from Germany, had beaten Larsson in straight sets in all three of their previous meetings, but this time the seventh seed made the most of home crowd support to take victory.

The tournament had boasted world No 1 Serena Williams as its top seed but the American withdrew after her opening-round win with an elbow injury.