Olympic champion from Paris 2024 Qingwen Zheng (China) won the title of the UTA 500 hard court tennis tournament in the Japanese capital Tokyo, which has a prize fund of 922,573 dollars, BTA reports. Ranked number 1 in the scheme, Zheng defeated the "wild card" participant in the final. the American Sofia Kenin with 7:6(5), 6:3 in 1:52 hours and took the third trophy of the season.
The Chinese player hit 33 winners and hit 16 aces as the match was played indoors after heavy rain interrupted the first set. Zheng, 22, adds the Tokyo title to her victories in Palermo and the Paris Olympics this year.
The first set was quite contested and without a single break. The Chinese failed to convert five break points, but she was very steady in the tiebreak and won it with a forehand winner. The second set was much different as Zhang took a 3-0 lead and was untroubled until the end. Despite the loss, 2020 Australian Open champion Kenin can be pleased with her performance in Tokyo, where she dropped just one set en route to the final to beat world No. 9 Daria Kasatkina.