Sofia Kenin, the No. 3 seed from Pembroke Pines, Fla., defeated former US Open winner Sam Stosur from a set down 6-7(4) 6-4, 6-2, to win the WTA Guangzhou International Women’s Open, her third career WTA title.
.@SofiaKenin is your #GuangzhouOpen Champion! 🏆
She moves past Stosur, 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2 pic.twitter.com/RFkjftGMiy
— wta (@WTA) September 21, 2019
The 20-year-old No. 3 seed lost the first set after squandering a break, then in the second set was two games from defeat before ripping off seven straight games to turn the match around.
“Sam is such a tough player to play, and the match was not easy,” Kenin said. “I’m just really happy with the way I fought. I knew it was going to be a tough match and I needed to leave everything on the court.”
Stosur was looking for her first WTA title in 2-1/2 years. The 35-year-old fell to 9-16 in career WTA finals.
“She played very, very well for the whole match, and really picked it up in that second and third sets,” Stosur said. “I still made the final, so there’s lots to be proud of. I think it was pretty close and there wasn’t a whole lot in it, but I didn’t get off to the start in the third that I wanted to, and that’s what made the difference as it went on.”
Championship feels 😎
📸: @SofiaKenin | #TeamUSATennis pic.twitter.com/T6vP6L7T54
— USTA (@usta) September 21, 2019
Kenin entered the event at a career-high No. 20 on the WTA rankings and will rise to a career-high No. 17 on Monday.
“My goal next year is to be in the Top 10,” Kenin said. “I’m just going to enjoy this title and having a great year, and I’m going to try and do my best in Wuhan and Beijing, and hopefully qualify for Zhuhai [the WTA Finals].”
Congrats @bambamsam30 on a great week here! SO HAPPY TO HAVE CLINCHED ANOTHER TITLE 🏆😍💪🏼 #GuangzhouOpen @WTA pic.twitter.com/8l2LNbiz4O
— Sofia Kenin (@SofiaKenin) September 21, 2019
The Russian-born Florida native’s hot steak continues as she improved to 3-1 in finals, all coming in 2019.
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