A surging Naomi Osaka found further redemption for a string of disappointing performances over the summer with her second consecutive title in Asia at the China Open on Sunday.
Osaka bounced back from a set down to top-seeded Ash Barty, cruising through the final two sets to defeat the top-seeded Australian 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 and accomplish her goal of returning to winning form on the tour’s Asian leg.
In the men’s final, top-seeded Austrian Dominic Thiem beat Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.
Osaka’s win follows the two-time Grand Slam winner’s victory last month at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in her birthplace of Osaka, Japan, her first singles title since the Australian Open in January.
Fifth-ranked Thiem recorded his fourth title in a season where the 26-year-old has defeated both Roger Federer and top-ranked Novak Djokovic.
He called the match against the third-seeded Tsitsipas one of the best of his career and said his early departure from the U.S. Open had left him “fresher than ever” for the later part of the season.