Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei clinched the Japan Women’s Open Sept. 16 in Hiroshima with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Amanda Anisimova of the U.S.
Hsieh secured her third career Women’s Tennis Association title with an emphatic 58-minute triumph over the unseeded 17-year-old. Victory earned the Taiwan star US$43,000 in prize money and catapulted her to 29th in the WTA rankings, marking her return to the world top 30 for the first time since February 2013.
Playing her first singles final for six years, second-seeded Hsieh started slowly, losing seven of the opening nine points and giving up three break points to Anisimova. With the American player unable to take advantage of these early opportunities, the 32-year-old Taiwanese took command of the match, building a 4-1 lead in securing the first set.
Hsieh rode this momentum into the second set, consistently out-thinking her less-experienced opponent, as exemplified by a stunning improvised dropshot in the fifth game. Despite losing her serve in the next game, she continued to confound Anisimova with clever angles and net play, before clinching the championship with a smash.
Speaking after the match, Hsieh expressed pride in her performance and attributed her recent run of good results to a shift in mentality. Having struggled with an ankle injury last season, the Taiwan athlete said that she is focusing on playing without pressure and enjoying her time on the court.
Best known as a doubles star, Hsieh is formerly the world’s top-ranked women’s doubles player, winning the doubles titles at Wimbledon in 2013 and the French Open in 2014. Her previous WTA singles crowns came in 2012 at the Malaysia Open and Guangzhou Open in China.
This season, Hsieh has experienced a resurgence in singles form, defeating third-seeded Garbine Muguruza while reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open and upsetting World No. 1 Simona Halep to qualify for the same round at Wimbledon. Next up for the Taiwan athlete is the Korea Open Sept. 17-23 in Seoul. (KWS-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw