OSAKA, Japan (AP) — Defending champion Sam Stosur recovered from a tough first set to win her third Japan Women’s Open title Sunday, defeating Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan 7-6 (9-7), 6-3.
Stosur, seeded first, didn’t drop a set all week in capturing her first WTA title of the season.
The 30-year-old Australian was broken by her fifth-seeded opponent in the first game of a tight opening set before drawing on her power and experience to pull away.
“Zarina played very good match today,” said Stosur, who faced two set points in the tiebreaker. “She managed to put me under a lot of pressure and returned serve really well. She gets to a lot of balls and can put you under pressure. You have to be out there and try to attack.”
Diyas showed flashes of brilliance in her first WTA final but couldn’t capitalize when seemingly in control.
“Trying to serve out a set in a final, I don’t know if maybe she was a little nervous,” she said. “But I tried to play a little bit more aggressive or put a bit more on my shots to make her come up with something else.”
The 20-year-old Diyas saw this as a breakthrough week for her.
“It was my first final, so I am happy with how I played,” she said. “She served very well and it was tough, especially on those set points. But this was a great experience for me.”
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