Goerges rallies past Vandeweghe to lift WTA Elite Trophy

ZHUHAI (Reuters) - German Julia Goerges tamed American CoCo Vandeweghe 7-5 6-1 in the final of the WTA Elite Trophy to claim the biggest title of her career on Sunday.

Vandeweghe, seeded second at the tournament, got an early break and breezed to a 5-2 lead in the opening set before the German staged a brilliant comeback.

The seventh seed, who won the Kremlin Cup in Moscow a fortnight back, broke back while the American was serving for the opening set and went on to win it 7-5.

Vandeweghe won only one of the last 12 games in the match as the 29-year-old pinned her with a barrage of winners.

Goerges was simply unstoppable in the second set and she completed the victory with a crosscourt return winner on her second championship point.

The 29-year-old screamed in delight after completing a stellar year in which she won two titles and reached five finals.

The tournament’s 12-player singles field featured the leading players on the women’s tour who did not qualify for last week’s WTA Finals in Singapore while one wildcard was awarded to China’s top-ranked player Peng Shuai.