By Sally Milano, USTA.com
The third time was the charm for American Lauren Davis.
Davis captured her first career title Saturday at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, defeating No. 8 seed Ana Konjuh of Croatia, 6-3, 6-1, in the final.
Davis, who is currently ranked No. 61 in the WTA rankings, was playing in her third career WTA final, having lost her two previous finals, both last year, in Washington, D.C., and Quebec City.
"The feeling is indescribable," the 23-year-old from Boca Raton, Fla., said following her victory. "It's definitely an incredible feeling to win my first WTA title at my favorite tournament. I've been waiting for this moment for quite a few years."
Davis' road to the title included wins over Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands in the first round, Kurumi Nara of Japan in the second round, No. 4 seed Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals and No. 7 Jelena Ostapeno of Latvia in the semifinals, before downing Konjuh in the final.
Davis is the third consecutive American to win the Auckland title. She follows Venus Williams, who took home the championship in 2015, and Sloane Stephens, who won the tournament last year.