What's happened
Liudmila Samsonova won the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, defeating Zheng Qinwen in straight sets.
Why it matters
Samsonova's victory marks her third title in two months and fourth consecutive win in a final. She is projected to reach a career-high ranking just outside the top 20 on Monday. Zheng Qinwen reached her first Tour-level championship match at the WTA 500 event.
What the papers say
Reuters reported on both the semi-finals and the final, while The Independent reported on Emma Raducanu's progress at the Korea Open.
How we got here
Liudmila Samsonova won consecutive titles in Washington and Cleveland in the run-up to the hardcourt Grand Slam in New York. Zheng Qinwen made her Grand Slam debut at the 2022 Australian Open and started the year ranked 126th but has steadily climbed up the ladder to a career-best 36th in her breakthrough season.
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Liudmila Dmitriyevna Samsonova is a Russian tennis player. She competed for Italy from 2014 to 2018.
Samsonova has career-high WTA rankings of world No. 63 in singles, achieved on 21 June 2021, and 666 in doubles, reached on 7 August 2017.