Australia’s Samantha Stosur continued her love affair with the Osaka hardcourts by claiming a third Japan Open title after edging Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan in Sunday’s final.
The top seed prevailed 7-6 (7/5) 6-3 over her 20-year-old opponent, who was competing in her first WTA final.
The 2011 US Open winner was broken in the first game of the match as Diyas confidently held on for a 5-3 advantage before losing serve for the first time as she tried to close the set out.
Diyas recovered in the tiebreak and held two set points but could not convert as the 30-year-old Stosur fought back to take it and avoid dropping her first set of the week.
The Queensland native, ranked 18th in the world, then scored an early break at the start of the second set and claimed another to seal her sixth career title and first of the season.
World No 37 Diyas, who had never reached a WTA semi-final before, was one of four players selected earlier this week to take part at the WTA Rising Stars Invitational event on the sidelines of the WTA Tour Finals in Singapore later this month.
In Tianjin, China, meanwhile American Alison Riske won her first WTA title after overpowering Swiss teenager Belinda Bencic in the final of the Tianjin Open.
The 24-year-old Atlanta, Georgia resident blasted away the US Open quarter-finalist with some powerful serves and mean groundstrokes to take a 6-3 6-4 win.
“It’s a huge accomplishment for me to win my first WTA title,” the world number 62 said after downing the 17-year-old, who was also seeking a first WTA title.
“I was here by myself, which made it even more special, just to know that I was able to do it by myself. I hope I can keep up the momentum.”
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