Zarina Diyas beats Miyu Kato to win first WTA title at Japan Open

The 23-year-old Zarina Diyas needed 77 minutes to win the battle of qualifiers in the tournament's championship match.

Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan gestures as she celebrates her win over Japan's Miyu Kato in their women's singles final at the Japan Women's Open tennis tournament in Tokyo. | AFP

TOKYO: Kazakhstan's Zarina Diyas, the World No. 100, won her first WTA Tour title by defeating Japan's Miyu Kato 6-2, 7-5 in the Japan Open final.

The 23-year-old on Sunday needed 77 minutes to win the battle of qualifiers in the tournament's championship match, reports Efe.

Diyas advanced to the final with a 6-4, 0-6, 6-3 win over American defending champion Christina McHale in the semifinals on Saturday.

Diyas had reached the Japan Open final in 2014 but she lost to Australia's Samantha Stosur.