Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina celebrated her first title since becoming a mother by donating her prize money to help children in her homeland.
Svitolina, 28, beat Russia’s Anna Blinkova 6-2 6-3 to win the Internationaux de Strasbourg.
It comes just seven months after the former world number three, who is married to French player Gael Monfils, gave birth to their daughter Skai.
“I would like to share this energy with Ukraine,” said Svitolina.
“All my prize money from this tournament is going to go to the kids of Ukraine, [which is] much needed in this tough moment.”
Svitolina announced after the 2022 Miami Open last March that she was taking a sabbatical, citing the mental toll of the Russian invasion on her home country, and shortly after announced her pregnancy.
She continued to protest against the war before returning to the WTA tour in April and is now ranked 508th in the world.
Only three other players have won a tournament on the WTA with a lower ranking, and Svitolina became only the fifth wildcard to win on the tour.
It was the 17th title of her career and first since winning in Chicago in 2021.
The victory is a timely boost for Svitolina before the French Open, which starts on Sunday.
Svitolina, who has never gone past the quarter-finals at Roland Garros, is using her protected ranking to play in the tournament and will face Italian Martina Trevisan, 29, a semi-finalist last year, in the first round.
Her win in Strasbourg came in just over one hour 30 minutes and included seven breaks of the Blinkova serve.
“I would like to thank France for doing an unbelievable job, welcoming Ukrainians, doing everything possible for them to feel like it’s their second home,” she said.
“Thank you so much for everything that you do for us, and together, we’re going to see the light and end this war.”
