Jang Su Jeong claims Canberra clay court title

By robiciatennis | April 4, 2022 |

South Korea’s world no. 179 and the no. 2 seed for the ACT Clay Court International #2 has come from a set down to defeat Japan’s Yuki Naito.

The opening set saw both players having trouble holding serve with six breaks of serve.

The set would eventually be decided in a tie breaker with Naito jumping to a 5-1 lead before closing out the breaker 7-3.

The second set was all Jang as she broke three times to level the set.

In the third set it was the 21-year-old Japanese world no. 224 that looked in control as she broke in the fourth game for a 3-1 lead.

Jang would fight back, winning the next four games to lead 5-3. Naito managed to hold to force her Korean opponent serve out the match at 5-4.

At 40-15 Jang had several match points, but needed just one to claim the ITF W60 level title in Canberra.

The final score was 6-7(3), 6-1, 6-4 in a match lasting 2 hours 46 minutes.

It was Jang’s first at title at that level. The ACT Clay Court International #2 title takes her tally to 10 on the ITF tour.

Naito has six ITF titles, winning a W25 in Buenos Aires in 2021 and she racked up five titles in 2019. She was aiming for her first W60 level title.

Naito took the loss hard, visibly upset during the presentation ceremony.

The final brought an end to a busy period in Canberra with four tournaments for both men and women over recent times.