American teen Ashlyn Krueger didn’t lose a set the entire tournament in capturing her first WTA Tour title with a 6-3, 7-6 (6) upset of top seed Zhu Lin on Sunday, September 17, at the Japan Open in Osaka.
Ranked No. 123 in the world, Krueger, 19, entered the week without a main-draw win on hard court this year and had never advanced past a quarterfinal of a WTA event.
China’s Zhu, ranked No. 35, became just the second top-50 player to lose to the Dallas resident in her young career. This was the pair’s first meeting and Krueger’s 11th main-draw appearance.
Krueger had the edge in aces, 7-3, and never had to save a break point in the 96-minute match. She broke Zhu on her first service game of the match, and Zhu was 1-for-2 in saving break points.
“I think I was very aggressive today, playing a lot of really aggressive tennis and using my serve,” said Krueger, who recorded 28 winners to 13 for her opponent. “I think I just stayed mentally tough the whole time. Lots of aggressive shots and trusting in myself.”
