Wang Xiyu beats Magda Linette in Guangzhou to win her first WTA title
GUANGZHOU, China (AP) — Local favorite Wang Xiyu won her first WTA title by beating top-seeded Magda Linette 6-0, 6-2 at the Guangzhou Open on Saturday.
“It was very exciting and it’s a very emotional moment because to play in this tournament, every player is really tough,” said the 22-year-old Wang, who became the fifth Chinese champion at Guangzhou. “It’s so difficult to be here on the last day. I’m very happy to be here and I think I cannot say it because it’s very emotional.”
In a dominant first set, Wang never faced a break point against the Australian Open semifinalist.
Wang broke Linette early in the second set and took 2-0 lead before Linette took a medical timeout and then evened the set 2-2.
But she didn’t allow her Polish opponent to stage a comeback and sealed the final in 80 minutes.
“It was really a dream for me,” Wang said. “I think there is going to be bigger tournaments, tougher matches waiting for me, and I’m just trying my best like I did this week.”
At the Zhuhai Championships, Aslan Karatsev reached the quarterfinals by beating former world No. 1 Andy Murray 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
The 63rd-ranked ranked Karatsev, looking for his first tour title since Sydney in 2022, will face second-seeded Cameron Norrie for a spot in the semifinals. Norrie beat Australian qualifier Marc Polmans 6-0, 6-3.
In other matches, Sebastian Korda defeated Alexandre Muller 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 and will play Tomas Martin Etcheverry after the Argentine beat Czech player Dalibor Svrcina 6-2, 6-3.
At the Chengdu Open, top-seeded Alexander Zverev, Lorenzo Musetti and Grigor Dimitrov all won their second-round matches on Saturday after receiving a bye in the first round.
Zverev rallied to beat Russian qualifier Pavel Kotov 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-1 and will face Miomir Kecmanovic in the quarterfinals. Kecmanovic beat Corentin Moutet 6-2, 6-4.
The second-seeded Musetti was also challenged before beating Australian qualifier Philip Sekulic 7-6 (3), 6-7 (4), 6-0 and advanced to the last eight. Musetti next faces Arthur Rinderknech, who beat Marcos Giron 7-6 (2), 6-4.
The third-seeded Dimitrov defeated Juan Pablo Varillas 6-3, 6-4 to set up a quarterfinal match against Australian Christopher O’Connell.
___
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
