Emma Navarro literally became a WTA 500 champion in the most impressive way possible but later confessed that she didn't think she would one day be a winner in this specific category.
In Sunday's final in Merida, the top-seeded American dismissed rising star Emiliana Arango 6-0 6-0 in just 55 minutes of play and became the fifth player since 2000 to win a WTA final with a 6-0 6-0 scoreline.
Going into the final, the Colombian had won her last 11 matches so she definitely wasn't lacking any confidence.
But during the Merida final, Navarro was so dominant that she only allowed Arango to have one game point during the entire contest.
For the 23-year-old, it was her second WTA title - her first came at the WTA 250 tournament in Hobart 14 months ago.
"I think I've never been that good at looking ahead, so I never imagined myself playing in a WTA 500 final at the beginning," the world No. 8 said after winning Merida.
"I don't think I ever imagined myself winning in the 500 category."
Arango kept it straight honest after Navarro demolished her
In mid-February, won her maiden WTA 125 (Challenger) title in Cancun.
Then, she also won two qualifying matches to qualify for Merida before winning five more matches at the Mexican tournament to reach the final.
But then the title match came and she stood no chance against Navarro.
Reflecting on her loss, Arango admitted that it showed her that there was still a lot of work to be done to improve on her part.
"I have to put my head down and work hard to be able to do better. I want to play in a final like this again and win it," the 24-year-old said.
"Today I did things well but I was not better than her. A 6-0, 6-0 is proof that there is not a single thing that needs to be fixed; I have to improve my serve, my return, how I move and the speed of the ball."
Today, Arango is enjoying a career-high ranking of No. 80 in the world and it is also the first time that she is ranked inside the top-100.
