ZHUHAI, China (AP) — Beatriz Haddad Maia has claimed her third career tour title by defeating seventh-seeded Zheng Qinwen 7-6 (11), 7-6 (4) to win the WTA Elite Trophy on Sunday.
The eighth-seeded Brazilian needed 2 hours and 51 minutes to edge past Zheng in a tight battle, which ended the top Chinese player's win streak at eight matches.
The 19th-ranked Haddad Maia maintained her perfect record this week with her fourth consecutive straight sets victory. Her semifinal win over 17th-ranked Daria Kasatkina followed her opening upset victory over second-seeded Madison Keys and then Caroline Garcia to win the group.
It is Haddad Maia’s first title on hard courts and first since Birmingham in 2022.
Her performance in Zhuhai was a welcome return to form for the 2023 French Open semifinalist who had only one win in three previous tournaments as part of the tour's Asia swing.
Zheng, who won the Zhengzhou Open this month and also the gold medal at the Asian Games in September, was just the second Chinese player to make the final of the WTA Elite Trophy after Wang Qiang finished runner-up to former world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty in 2018.
The 12-player tournament was the first postseason event on the women’s tour. It featured the 11 highest-ranked singles players who did not qualify for next month’s WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico. Zhu Lin, who Zheng beat in the semifinals, was the final entry as a wild-card.
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
