The Zhao factor: Carol claims second W100 title in Charleston
Titles appear to arrive with the unpredictability of London buses for Carol Zhao.
The 27-year-old Canadian had waited an age - five years to be precise - for a tournament triumph, only for two to come along at once on the ITF World Tennis Tour this month.
Zhao defeated Japan’s Himeno Sakatsume 3-6 6-4 6-4 in the final at W100 Charleston on Sunday to claim her 10th consecutive match-win and equal her career-best result, having also won W100 Shenzhen in November 2017.
Her victory was her fourth career singles title overall and follows her triumph at W25 Incheon in Korea in early June, a win she described on social media as “one of the most meaningful weeks of my career”.
One of the most meaningful weeks of my career in this title bc of everything that went into this behind the scenes and over the past several years. Grateful for all those still riding with me and proud to still find within me the fire to compete & meaning in the journey🏆👊 pic.twitter.com/mKtFuZ3upG
— Carol Zhao 一羽 (@CarolZhao95) June 15, 2022
Zhao is a former junior world No. 9, with the highlight of her junior career coming in doubles when she won the 2013 Australian Open junior crown alongside Ana Konjuh.
Meanwhile, 19-year-old Oksana Selekhmeteva won the biggest title of her career to date on Sunday, overcoming Ukraine’s Kateryna Baindl in the W60 Montpellier final.
See all the weekend’s women’s title winners on the ITF World Tennis Tour here