Qinwen Zheng wins Toray Pan Pacific Open, clinches WTA Finals spot

TOKYO — Top-seeded Qinwen Zheng of China claimed the Toray Pan Pacific Open with a 7-6 (5), 6-3 win over American wild card Sofia Kenin in Sunday’s final to clinch her place in the WTA Finals next month.

The No. 7-ranked Zheng, who won gold at the Paris Olympics, fired 16 aces and faced a single break point throughout the 1-hour, 52-minute victory in Tokyo over the 2020 Australian Open champion Kenin.

It is the 22-year-old Zheng’s third title of the year and first on hard court since winning at Zhengzhou last year. She has gone 28-4 since Wimbledon, including a 12-2 run on the WTA’s Asian swing.

This was the 25-year-old Kenin’s best performance of the season. The American was ranked as high as No. 4 early in 2020, but a series of injuries, including ankle and quadricep ailments, has seen her WTA ranking drop to its current 155.

The WTA Finals begin in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Nov. 2.