Top-seeded Qinwen Zheng of China claimed the Toray Pan Pacific Open with a 7-6 (5), 6-3 win over American wild card Sofia Kenin in yesterday’s final and clinch her place in the WTA finals next month.
The No. 7-ranked Zheng, who won gold at the Paris Olympics, fired 16 aces and only faced a single break point throughout the 1 hour, 52 minute victory in Tokyo over the 2020 Australian Open champion Kenin.
It is the 22-year-old Zheng’s third title of the year and first on hardcourt she winning at Guangzhou last year. She has gone 28-4 since Wimbledon, including a 12-2 run in women’s tour Asian swing.
It was the 25-year-old Kenin’s best performance of the season. The American was ranked as high as No. 4 early in 2020, but a series of injuries, including ankle and quadricep ailments, has seen her WTA ranking drop to its current 155.
The WTA Finals begin in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Nov. 2. MDT/AP
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