In the Pan Pacific Open final in Tokyo on Sunday, eighth seed Veronika Kudermetova secured her first title of the season and second overall by defeating world number four Jessica Pegula with a convincing score of 7-5, 6-1.
Kudermetova wasted no time in unleashing her powerful shots from the baseline, taking an early 3-0 lead by breaking Pegula’s serve. However, she lost her own serve in the fifth game, allowing her opponent to equalize the first set.
Pegula’s untimely double fault handed Kudermetova the opening set. Following this, the Russian player, who is ranked 19th in the world, regained her intensity in the second set and quickly advanced to a 5-1 lead. She eventually sealed the victory on her third matchpoint with a powerful serve.
This marks the second time Kudermetova has defeated Pegula this season, with her earlier victory occurring in the Madrid quarter-finals. Additionally, Kudermetova has now won five out of her last six matches against top-10 opponents.
Notably, the 26-year-old also triumphed over world number two Iga Swiatek earlier in the tournament.
Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by William Mallard
Credit: The Star : Sport Feed
