Young Chinese tennis sensation Zheng Qinwen will have to wait a little longer to claim her first WTA title after losing to Russian Liudmila Samsonova 7-5, 7-5 in the final of the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo on Sunday.

The final was the first at a WTA event for the 19-year-old Chinese player, who made some errors at critical points during the match.

She will take a two-week rest before heading to the WTA500 San Diego Open in the U.S.

Meanwhile, red-hot Samsonova, 23, was in a perfect form as she secured her 18th victory in her last 19 matches. She has won three tournaments over that span, having picked up back-to-back titles in Washington D.C. and Cleveland last month.

(Cover image: Liudmila Samsonova of Russia (L) and Zheng Qinwen of China pose for a photo before the final at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, Japan, September 25, 2022. /CFP