Zheng downs Shnaider to book Kenin clash in Tokyo final
IMAGE: Zheng Qinwen sealed a spot in the final in Tokyo for a second time in her career. Photograph: Florence Lo/Reuters
Zheng Qinwen saw off a spirited challenge from Diana Shnaider to secure a hard-fought 7-6(5), 6-3 win in their Pan Pacific Open semi-final on Saturday and set up a title clash against American Sofia Kenin.
Zheng sealed a spot in the final in Tokyo for a second time in her career, where she will be looking to make amends for her 2022 defeat to Liudmila Samsonova.
The Olympic champion wasted little time in the semi-final, breaking twice in quick succession to race into a 4-0 lead and put Shnaider on the backfoot, but a drop in Zheng’s level gave the Russian an opportunity to claw her way back into the contest.
Shnaider won three straight games to leave the opening set at 4-3, before defending three set points to hold under pressure for 5-4 and then saving another to break Zheng’s serve for a second time and level at 5-5.
Zheng recovered to force a tiebreak, where the 22-year-old won three consecutive points to take the opening set.
Early in the second set, Zheng’s first-serve percentage plummeted and Shnaider broke for 2-1, but the top seed broke right back and again for a 4-2 lead which she would not relinquish.
“It was not an easy match. Especially because I was way forward with a lot of set points, and then the end of the set, in the tiebreaker, it was not easy,” Zheng said.
“I’m just happy I’m always there (in the match). It doesn’t matter what happens today on court. I’m happy to be back in the final again because I was here two years ago.”
Earlier, 2020 Australian Open champion Kenin eased past British number one Katie Boulter 6-4 6-4 in just under 90 minutes to reach her first singles final since San Diego last year.
Kenin, 25, also finished runner-up at the French Open in 2020 and reached a career-high number four that season, before injuries, illness and off-court issues saw her drop down the rankings.
“I think she’s a really good player and she has a good ground stroke and she has some great drop shots,” Zheng said of Kenin.
“Of course, if she’s in the final, it means she’s really tough to beat in this tournament. I’m just going to try my best tomorrow and let’s see what happens.”
Ben Shelton upsets Andrey Rublev to reach Basel semis
Sixth-seeded Ben Shelton won all eight break points in the match and emerged with a 7-5, 6-7 (3), 6-4 upset of top-seeded Russian Andrey Rublev on Friday in the quarterfinals of the Swiss Indoors Basel.
Shelton saved all six break points he faced and converted each of his two break chances — one to end the first set, the other for a 5-4 lead in the third set. He closed out the match with a service-game win at love.
Next up for Shelton is a semifinal match against seventh-seeded Arthur Fils of France, who beat third-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece 7-6 (5), 6-3. Fils never faced a break point in the match.
The other semifinal will feature fourth-seeded Holger Rune of Denmark and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard of France. Rune downed Belgium’s David Goffin 6-2, 6-4, and France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard edged Canada’s Denis Shapovalov 6-7 (7), 6-3, 7-6 (3).
Erste Bank Open
Sixth-seeded Lorenzo Musetti of Italy rallied for a 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 victory over top-seeded Alexander Zverev of Germany in the quarterfinals at Vienna.
Down 3-0 in the second-set tiebreaker and on the verge of being eliminated, Musetti won the next three points and eventually leveled the match. He then took the first three games of the final set to pull away.
Seventh-seeded Jack Draper of Great Britain will oppose Musetti in the semifinals after defeating the Czech Republic’s Tomas Machac 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.
Second-seeded Alex de Minaur of Australia registered a comeback win over the Czech Republic’s Jakub Mensik, 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-4. In the semifinals, de Minaur will face Russia’s Karen Khachanov, who routed Italy’s Matteo Berrettini 6-1, 6-4.
