HP OPEN – Final Results

Written by: Staff on 14th October 2012

HP OPEN - Final Results

epa03371363 Heather Watson of Great Britain hits a return to Na Li of China on the first day of the 2012 US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 27 August 2012. The US Open runs through Sunday 09 September 2012. EPA/LARRY W. SMITH |

HP OPEN

Osaka, Japan

October 8-14, 2012

$220,000/International

Hard/Outdoors

Results – Sunday, October 14, 2012

Singles – Final

Heather Watson (GBR) d. Chang Kai-Chen (TPE) 75 57 76(4) (saved 4mp)

Doubles – Final

(1) Kops-Jones/Spears (USA/USA) d. (4) Date-Krumm/Watson (JPN/GBR) 61 64

Final Facts

– In winning her first WTA title, Watson becomes the first Brit to capture a WTA title since Sara Gomer at Aptos in 1988 just three weeks after Laura Robson became the first British finalist since Jo Durie at Newport in 1990.

– Watson rallied from a 5-3 deficit in the third set, with the four match points against her coming at 5-4.

– Both Watson and Chang won 129 points in the final, which lasted three hours, 11 minutes.

– Chang beat three seeds en route to the final, including No.1 seed and World No.9 Samantha Stosur in the semifinals – her third career Top 10 win.

– Neither finalist had been beyond a WTA quarterfinal prior to Osaka.

– This was the eighth final this year in which both players were unseeded after Brisbane, Bogotá, Monterrey, Fès, Bastad, Tashkent and Guangzhou.

– Kops-Jones and Spears win their sixth WTA doubles title as a duo and fourth this year. It was Kops-Jones’ eighth WTA doubles title and Spears’ 10th.

– Kops-Jones and Spears did not lose more than four games in a set all week.

Final Quotes

Heather Watson: “I was already thinking about how I was going to cry in the locker room. But after I saved the first one, I just took it point by point. I’m really proud of myself for getting through that.”

“I’ve worked so hard for this moment my whole career – that’s why I practiced so hard, ran all those miles and lifted all those weights, for moments like this.”

“Britain has been breaking quite a few records recently, so I’m happy I could break another one today. I’m proud to do this for my country.”

Topics: Chang Kai-Chen, Heather Watson, HP Open, Japan tennis news, Kops-Jones, Osaka tennis news, Spears