Romania's Halep Wins WTA Tournament of Champions in Bulgaria

Simona Halep of Romania defeated Samantha Stosur of Australia in their final match for the 2013 Garanti Koza tennis tournament of Champions in Sofia, Bulgaria, 03 November 2013. Photo by EPA/BGNES

Top-seeded Romanian Simona Halep lived up to the high expectations at the Tournament of Champions final in Sofia, defeating former US Open champion Samantha Stosur 2-6 6-2 6-2.

Cheered up by numerous fans from neighboring Romania, 22-year-old Halep grabbed her sixth title of the year after an exciting match, a season-ending WTA event at the Armeets Arena in Sofia.

The victory brought her a cheque for USD 270,000 and lifted her three places in the world rankings to No. 11 in Monday's WTA rankings.

"I want to thank all my supporters here, who came to support me and helped me win the title," Halep said.

Halep repeatedly moved Stosur into the corners and finished off several points with perfect shots down the line.

"It was a tough match, Simona was too good today," Stosur said. "I want to congratulate her. For me, it's time to get some rest."

By winning six trophies this year, Halep is second only to Serena Williams, who won 11.