China’s 19-year-old Zheng Qinwen came back from one set down to beat number 4 seed Veronika Kudemertova 5-7 6-3 7-6 (8-6) after 1 hour and 27 minutes in a hard-fought match after 3 hours and 4 minutes securing her spot at the Toray Pan Pacific in Tokyo.
Kudemertova, who is the top 10 in the Race to this year’s WTA Finals, came back from 1-4 down to win the first set 7-5. Kudemertova broke back in the seventh game to draw level to 4-4. Kudemertova earned her second break in the 11th game to close out the first set 6-4. The Russian player held break points in each of Zheng’s service games.
Zheng earned a break in the fourth game to open up a 4-1 lead in the second set and held on her next service games to seal the second set 6-3.
Both players held on their next service games in the third set en route to their tie-break. Zheng earned the first mini-break with a volley winner at 3-2 and hit two service winners to open up a 5-2 lead. Zheng sealed the win on her second match point at 6-3, as Kudemertova fired a return long.
Zheng has become the second teenager to reach a final at WTA 500 level or higher, following Coco Gauff, who advanced to the French Open at the age of 18.
Zheng will take on Liudmila Samsonova, who beat Zhang Shuai 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 in the semifinal. Samsonova has an undefeated record of 3-0 in WTA singles finals this season. Earlier this week she beat Paula Badosa in straight sets in the second round.
Both players traded breaks in the third and fourth games of the opening set and held their next service games en route to the tie-break. Samsonova sealed the tie-break on her first set point with her seventh set point.
Zhang broke in the first game of the second set and earned three game points to open up a 2-0 lead. Samsonova broke straight back to draw level to 1-1. The Russian player won the final four games with two breaks to seal the second set 6-2.
“I am feeling so happy because I am in another final in the last two months. It’s amazing. I never think it’s going to be possible, something like this, so I am incredibly happy”, said Samsonova.
Samsonova has reached her third WTA Tour final. She has won 17 of her last 18 matches, including two consecutive titles in Washington and Cleveland. She has lost only one match against Ajla Tomljanovic in the fourth round at the US Open after a 13-match winning streak. Zheng Qinwen beat Samsonova 6-3 6-2 in their only previous head-to-head match in Palermo lat Julu.
