Zheng edged out in maiden WTA final

Russia's Liudmila Samsonova won her third title in four tournaments by beating China's Zheng Qinwen 7-5,7-5 in the final of the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo on Sunday.

The red-hot world No 30 triumphed in Washington and Cleveland in August and she produced a string of giant-killing upsets in the Japanese capital on the way to another title.

Samsonova beat Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina and two-time Grand Slam winner Garbine Muguruza and did not drop a set all week.

Fast-rising teenager Zheng was playing in her first WTA final after knocking out top seed Paula Badosa in the second round.

The 19-year-old went toe to toe with Samsonova in a tight match but had her service broken late in the first set to let the Russian take control.

Both players traded breaks midway through the second set but the decisive moment came when Samsonova took a 6-5 lead to serve for the match.

The 23-year-old calmly picked off her opponent in the final game and sealed the deal when Zheng hit a return wide.

Samsonova's win came after a host of big names made early exits from the tournament.

"Huge congrats to Qinwen and her team because she's playing amazingly," said the winner, who had eliminated Zheng's compatriots Wang Xinyu and Zhang Shuai in the tournament, applauding her Chinese opponent.

"We were fighting every point. It was tough," she added.

After this win, her live ranking has moved up to a career-high No 22 from No 30. Zheng, who earlier this season expressed her desire to break into the world's top 30, has risen to No 28.

US Open semifinalist Caroline Garcia of France joined Badosa in a second-round exit, while Japanese home favorite and defending champion Naomi Osaka withdrew with abdominal pain.

The tournament was being held for the first time since 2019 because of the pandemic.

AFP