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WTA roundup: Jessica Pegula takes title in South Korea

Jessica Pegula reaches for a shot during her match against Petra Kvitova at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., March 14, 2023.

Bnp Tuesday 5
Credit: Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK

Top seed Jessica Pegula topped Yue Yuan of China 6-2, 6-3 to win the Hana Bank Korea Open on Sunday in Seoul.

For Pegula, ranked No. 4 in the world, it was her second championship of the season and fourth of her career. She became the first American since Venus Williams in 2007 to win this tournament.

After winning in Montreal this summer, Pegula now has won more than one title in a season for the first time. In all, she has won 53 matches on the season, tying her for second with No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus. They trail No. 2 Iga Swiatek of Poland, who has 63.

For Yuan, ranked No. 128, this tournament represented the first time she ever reached a WTA quarterfinal and higher.

Hong Kong Tennis Open

Leylah Fernandez rallied to defeat Katerina Siniakova 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 and win her first title of 2023 in Hong Kong.

Fernandez, of Canada, and the Czech battled throughout the two-hour. 49-minute match, each forced to fight to defend their serve. Fernandez fended off 13 of 18 break points, with Siniakova doing the same on nine of 14.

Fernandez, who reached the finals of the U.S. Open as a teenager in 2021, will move into the Top 50 with the win — the third of her career.

Siniakova was bothered during the match by an apparent issue with her left upper leg that required medical attention.

Zhengzhou Open

Qinwen Zheng came from a set down to defeat seventh-seeded Barbora Krejcikova 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 on her home turf.

The Chinese player hit 10 aces and converted six of her 10 break chances to defeat the Czech in two hours, 26 minutes. It was Zheng’s second career win.

She became the third Chinese woman to win a WTA 500-level event, joining Saisai Zheng and two-time Grand Slam champ Na Li.

–Field Level Media

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