China's tennis star Zheng Qinwen claimed her third title of the season with victory over Kenin in Tokyo, Japan marking the fifth of her career winning the Pan Pacific Open. Photo: Courtesy of People's Daily

In the final WTA 500 Tokyo event, top seed Zheng Qinwen defeated Sofia Kenin in straight sets (7-6, 6-3) to claim the championship. This marks her third title of the season and the fifth of her career, bringing her overall record in singles finals to five wins and four runner-up finishes.

The match was interrupted twice by rainfall, which led to a delay before the roof was closed, allowing play to resume. In the first set, both players held their serve, resulting in a 6-6 tie, which led to a tiebreak where Zheng won 7-6.

In the second set, Zheng's performance improved as she built a 3-0 lead with a break of serve. Both players then held serve, and Zheng ultimately took the set 6-3. Throughout the match, she recorded 16 aces with an impressive first-serve accuracy of 93 percent..

In the quarterfinals, Zheng defeated eighth seed Leylah Fernandez, winning her third straight semifinal appearance in the Asian tour. This victory brought Zheng's tally to 45 tour-level wins this season, setting a new record for Chinese players in a single season. On Saturday, she triumphed over sixth seed Anna Schneider to reach the final.

Kenin, ranked 155th, entered the tournament with a wildcard and has previously won titles at the Hobart, Mallorca, and Guangzhou WTA events, as well as and reached the fourth round of the French Open this season.. She captured her first Grand Slam title at the 2020 Australian Open, defeating Garbiñe Muguruza, and later reached the French Open final that same year. Zheng and Kenin had never faced each other before, making this their first encounter.

The 2024 WTA Year-End Championships will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from November 2 to November 9, making Zheng the second Chinese player to qualify for this prestigious event., following Li Na.

Global Times