TOKYO — Sofia Kenin has superior to the ultimate of the Pan Pacific Open with a 6-4, 6-4 win over ninth-seeded Katie Boulter on Saturday.
Kenin, who gained the Australian Open in 2020 and was a French Open finalist the identical 12 months, broke the British participant’s serve within the seventh recreation of the second set and the American served out to win the match for her finest event efficiency of the season.
Kenin will play No. 1 seed and Paris Olympic gold medalist Qinwen Zheng, who beat Diana Shnaider 7-6 (5), 6-3 within the different semifinal.
Kenin, 25, was ranked as excessive as No. 4 early in 2020, however a collection of accidents, together with ankle and quadricep illnesses, has seen her WTA rating drop to its present 155.
Boulter, ranked thirty third, had not misplaced a set throughout the Tokyo hard-court event.
Kenin beat Boulter in the one different time they’ve performed nevertheless it was when Boulter retired with an harm within the second set whereas trailing 4-1 to Kenin after dropping the primary set in Acapulco in 2019.
Boulter beat 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu on Friday within the quarterfinals.
