Halep claims Rome title after Pliskova retires with injury

Top seed Simona Halep claimed the Italian Open in Rome on Monday after second seed Karolina Pliskova retired from the final with injury when she was down 6-0 2-1.

Halep raced into a 5-0 lead in the opening set, breaking the defending champion three times and also saved three break points at 0-40 down in the fourth game.

The Romanian, who even shook off a hard fall in the second game, was at her aggressive and disciplined best while Pliskova looked sluggish with her on-court movement, failing to hit a single winner as she was bagelled in 20 minutes.