Pliskova beats Konta to win Italian Open

Karolina Pliskova swept past Johanna Konta 6-3, 6-4 to win the Italian Open on Sunday. The fourth seed claimed her 13th career title in 85 minutes.

Karolina Pliskova won her 13th career title at the Italian Open in Rome. AFP/Tiziana Fabi

"It was a great week for me and my team," said the 27-year-old Czech. "There were a couple of tough matches so I was happy to fight through them."

Pliskova got an early break in the final and surged into a 3-0 lead in just eight minutes.

A double fault when serving for the set handed Konta a break point but the British number one squandered the chance with a smash into the net with the entire court open to her.

Pliskova eventually claimed the set in 36 minutes. Pliskova broke Konta in the seventh game of the second set and served out to collect the biggest title of her career since the Cincinnati Open in 2016.