Hong Kong's Rebecca Chiu won her first Women's International Squash Players' Association tournament and became the first female from the territory to win the Japan Open after thrashing Singaporean qualifier Della Lee in yesterday's final.
Chiu's 10-9, 9-2, 9-1 win was a boost for Hong Kong and for Chiu, whose ranking should improve to the world's top 50 from the 74 she occupied before the Western Australian Open where she reached the quarter-finals earlier this month.
Chiu needed four sets before disposing of Japan's Masami Kofuji 9-4, 9-4, 6-9, 9-3 in the semi-final played earlier in the day. But the Hong Kong number one had no problems against Lee.
'I had it tough in the semi-finals, but it was much easier in the final. I'm delighted to have won the Japan Open because it was one of the titles I had always wanted to win,' said Chiu, who collects US$4,000 for the Tokyo victory.
Hong Kong's Jackie Lee Chun-kit and Wong Wai-hang also did the territory proud by reaching the semi-finals of the men's individual.
Lee started brightly but bowed out to Welsh number two Matthew Benjamin, who won 6-9, 9-3, 10-8, 9-0.
