Sunday, 25 September 2022

Samsonova wins Tokyo title

Final day in Tokyo.

2022 Toray Pan Pacific Open, a WTA 500 tournament, on Hard Indoor, in Tokyo, Japan, 19-25 September 2022.
Not held in 2020-2021 due to COVID

Defending champion (2019):
Naomi Osaka (1) who defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-2 6-4

Final:

Zheng Qinwen (China) v Liudmila Samsonova 

Zheng Qinwen won the only previous encounter between the players - first round in Palermo, on clay, July 2021.

Samsonova saved two break points in her first service game, one with a forehand winner. She held for 1-1.
Serve was held easily for the next seven games and Zheng led 5-4.

Samsonova served to stay in the set.
Forehand long from Samsonova. 0-15. Forehand netted by Samsonova. 0-30. Zheng forehand long. 15-30.
Zheng forehand wide 30-30. Zheng backhand return long 40-30. Zheng netted a forehand and Samsonova held for 5-5.

Two Samsonova forehand winners had Zheng behind 0-30, but she fought back to 40-30.
However, three successive points to Samsonova - a double fault plus two winners, one on break point - produced a service break and the Russian led 6-5.

Samsonova served it out comfortably 7-5.

In game two of set two, Samsonova led 40-0, but was taken to deuce three times before holding for 1-1.
In game five, Zheng saved two break points, but was unable to save a third, and Samsonova broke for 3-2.

Zheng broke back immediately. 3-3.
In game nine, Zheng saved two break points before holding for 5-4.

Samsonova served to stay in the set, and did so.

On break point in the eleventh game, Samsonova found a forehand winner and led 6-5.

Samsonova served for the match.

Zheng forehand wide. 15-0. Return long. 30-0. Return netted. Three match points.
Return wide and the match was over.

Liudmila Samsonova won the match 7-5 7-5 and the title.
This was her fourth title from four finals.

Three titles in her last four tournaments.

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