Chinese tennis player Zheng Qinwen defeated Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 in the Palermo Ladies Open final in Palermo, Italy, on Sunday to defend her championship for the first time in her career and added the third Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour trophy.

Sunday's match lasted two hours and 49 minutes, a touch contest for both Zheng and Muchova. Zheng allowed a break at the beginning of the first set, but soon returned the favor before taking the set to lead 1-0 in the final. Though the 2023 French Open finalist tied the match by claiming the second set in the same score, Zheng remained in control of the competition in the third set and secured the final victory.

"I'm glad to come back to play in Palermo," Zheng said after the match. "It's a special place for me. This is my third time to compete here and second time to win the title here. There is no word to describe my feelings at the moment. I like the atmosphere here."

Lifting the trophy on the clay court right before the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris not only helped Zheng stay in good form, but also enabled her to be listed as the No. 6 seed for the women's singles event at the Olympics.