Thailand Open: China’s Zhu Lin beats Lesia Tsurenko to win her first WTA Tour title
- ‘I’m so happy to finally win my first tour title. All of the hard work finally paid off,’ says Zhu, who will crack top 50 when WTA rankings are updated
- After a patchy start the 28-year-old Chinese player, who is ranked No 54, steadied before going on to clinch victory 6-4, 6-4
China’s Lin Zhu triumphed over Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko in the final of the 2023 Thailand Open in the seaside resort of Hua Hin on Sunday evening.
It was Lin’s first-ever WTA final, and she was the first Chinese player to make it past the quarter-final stage at the tournament.
After a patchy start the 28-year-old, who is ranked No 54, steadied before going on to clinch victory 6-4, 6-4.
Tsurenko, once ranked 23 but competing in a major final for the first time in five years, did not give her a smooth ride.
She battled back from match point down near the end of the second set, unsettling Lin enough to force the younger player into a series of unenforced errors.
But the Ukrainian was visibly discomforted by the swarms of mosquitos later invading the court, allowing an opening for her opponent.