Tennis: Kazakhstan's Zarina Diyas looses Japan Open final

Kazakh tennis professional, Kazakhstan No. 1 Zarina Diyas has lost to World No.18 and defending champion Samantha Stosur from Australia in the finals of the Japan Women's Open Tennis held in Osaka, Japan on October 6-12, Tengrinews reports citing Vesti.kz. Nevertheless, by reaching the finals, Diyas got herself plus 180 rating points to the WTA rating and $21,400 in prize money.

Fifth seed Diyas started the first set confidently breaking Stosur’s serve in the first game. Kazakh tennis professional led until top seed Stosur took it on a tie-break earning two set points. Finally, the Australian tennis player won the first set with a score of 9:7.

The second set began along the same scenario as the first one, but in favor of the Australian tennis professional. Stosur broke the serve and managed to hold her serve until she beat Diyas with the score of 6:3.

Speaking after the match Samantha Stosur commended Zarina Diyas for her playing and said that Zarina managed to put her under a lot of pressure and returned serves really well. Stosur shared that attacking was the best tactics against Zarina.

For Stosur, it is her sixth career singles WTA title and third title of Japan Open after her win in 2009 and 2013. She earned 240 rating points and $43,000 in prize money.

For Diyas, it was the first time she was in the finals of a WTA tournament. Speaking after the final match Zarina said that Stosur served very well and was a tough opponent, especially during set points. She was glad to be in the finals and enjoyed the experience.

Zarina Diyas, 20, is a Kazakh tennis professional, who is now ranked 37th in the Women Tennis Association (WTA) rating.

2014 year was a breakthrough for Diyas. It started in the main draw of the Grand Slam. At the Australia Open, the Kazakh tennis player reached the third round while at French Open she lost in the first round. At Wimbledon, Diyas got to the 1/8 finals. She reached her best 37th position in the WTA rating after getting into the second round at the WTA Beijing 2014.

The Japan Women's Open is a professional women's tennis tournament affiliated with the WTA, and it is an international-level tournament on the WTA Tour. 

Writing by Assel Satubaldina, editing by Tatyana Kuzmina