Former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin has reached the final of the Pan Pacific Open after winning against ninth-seeded Katie Boulter with a score of 6-4, 6-4 on Saturday.
Kenin, who won the Australian Open in 2020 and was a finalist at the French Open the same year, broke Boulter’s serve in the seventh game of the second set and then served to secure the victory, marking her best tournament performance this season.
In the final, Kenin will face No. 1 seed and Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen, who defeated Diana Shnaider 7-6 (5), 6-3 in the other semifinal.
The 25-year-old Kenin was ranked as high as No. 4 in early 2020, but due to several injuries, including issues with her ankle and quadriceps, her WTA ranking has fallen to 155.
Boulter, ranked 33rd, had not lost a set throughout the Tokyo hard-court tournament.
Kenin previously beat Boulter the only other time they played, but that match ended when Boulter retired due to injury while trailing 4-1 in the second set after losing the first set in Acapulco in 2019.
On Friday, Boulter defeated 2019 U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu in the quarterfinals.