Tianjin Open: Caroline Garcia puts disappointing year behind her with win over Karolina Pliskova in final

Beijing: Caroline Garcia won her first title of the year as the French player defeated Karolina Pliskova to edge a nervy Tianjin Open final on Sunday. [caption id=“attachment_5377541” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Caroline Garcia beat Karolina Pliskova 7-6, 6-3. AFP[/caption] The 16th-ranked Garcia battled through a narrow first set before streaking away in the second to beat the Czech top seed 7-6 (9/7), 6-3. The 24-year-old Garcia — seeded second in Tianjin — enjoyed a breakthrough 2017, winning back-to-back titles in Wuhan and Beijing, and qualifying for the season-ending WTA Finals. But she has struggled in comparison this year and her China Open defence in Beijing came to a meek end in the last 16, losing the deciding set 6-0 to Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus. The Tianjin title is the sixth of Garcia’s career.