Kenin battles past Stosur to claim Guangzhou crown

Open champion Samantha Stosur 6-7(4) 6-4 6-2 and win the Guangzhou International Women's Open title on Saturday.

It was the third title of the season for 20-year-old Kenin following triumphs in Hobart and Mallorca but the third seed was made to work hard by the Australian wildcard, playing in her first singles final in 2-1/2 years.

Kenin raced to a 4-2 lead before the 35-year-old Stosur, who has dropped to 129th in the world rankings, rallied to win the opening set on a tiebreak.

World number 20 Kenin, who reached the last 16 at the French Open this year, found herself two games away from defeat at 4-4 in the second set but switched gears to drag the match into a decider.

Stosur was unable to match the intensity of her younger rival and her hopes of a first singles title since her victory in Strasbourg two years ago faded as Kenin raced to a 5-1 lead before closing out the match on serve. (Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)