Published By: Sports Desk
Last Updated: February 05, 2024, 00:01 IST
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Rising Russian star Diana Shnaider bounced again from a turbulent second set to upend defending champion Zhu Lin of China 63, 26, 61 for her maiden title on the WTA Thailand Open on Sunday.
HUA HIN, Thailand: Rising Russian star Diana Shnaider bounced again from a turbulent second set to upend defending champion Zhu Lin of China 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 for her maiden title on the WTA Thailand Open on Sunday.
The No. 108-ranked North Carolina State University pupil displayed a fierce and stable baseline recreation to unsettle her No. 45-ranked opponent, prevailing in a aggressive contest lasting one hour and 59 minutes amid difficult, humid situations on the seaside resort.
Facing a quick setback as Zhu fought again from 1-4 to three-4, Shnaider regained management by unleashing deep flat strokes, managing to interrupt again to guide 5-3 earlier than comfortably securing the primary set.
In the second, Zhu mounted a comeback, successful 4 consecutive video games from 2-2, to pressure a decisive third set. The Chinese participant capitalized on uncharacteristic errors from her opponent to set the stage for an exhilarating conclusion.
Following a bathroom break, Shnaider returned to the courtroom with renewed depth. As Zhu struggled to take care of focus, Shnaider seized the chance to interrupt her opponent 3 times to clinch the decisive set and declare her first WTA title.
It was Shnaider’s second WTA ultimate look, having beforehand misplaced to Ons Jabeur in Ningbo, China final September.
“I feel like I won a Grand Slam. I’m not lying guys. This win will stay in my memory for a long time,” Shnaider mentioned.
“The last two points were crazy. I kept doing everything that I could. I’m so proud of myself. I was running as fast as I could for every ball,” mentioned the lefthander.
In the doubles ultimate, Miyu Kato of Japan and Aldila Sutjiadi of Indonesia secured their third title as a pair by defeating the Chinese duo of Hanyu Guo and Xinyu Jiang 6-4, 1-6, 10-7. Their earlier victories got here in Auckland and Cleveland in 2023. ___
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
(This story has not been edited by News18 employees and is printed from a syndicated information company feed – Associated Press)
