TOKYO, OCT 27 – Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen hailed her increasing level of consistency after claiming her third title of the year, defeating Sofia Kenin in the Pan Pacific Open final in Tokyo today.
China’s Zheng overcame USA’s Kenin with a 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 victory, extending his impressive run this season as the world number seven.
At the age of 22, Zheng made history as the first Chinese player to win Olympic tennis singles gold in Paris.
In addition, he also won the tournament in Palermo and was runner-up in Wuhan and the Australian Open.
Zheng struggled for consistency after losing to Aryna Sabalenka in Melbourne earlier this year and said she had to change her mentality.
“When I reached the final at the Australian Open, many praised, but after that I experienced fluctuating performances in other tournaments.
“I started to improve myself and reassess the necessary mentality,” he said.
Zheng, who is also the top seed in Tokyo, kept his composure to win a tight first set despite two rain interruptions, before taking the second set comfortably. – AFP
