Lin Zhu to vie for crown in Osaka against maiden finalist, Ashlyn Krueger

Lin Zhu will play Ashlyn Krueger in the final of the Japan Open on Sunday. Zhu and Krueger won their respective semi-finals on Saturday. Zhu beat fellow countrywoman, Xinyu Wang while Krueger got past Mai Hontama.In the first semi-final, Krueger defeated Hontama 6-3, 6-3 in an hour and 38 minutes.

Krueger won 64% of her first-serve points to Hontama’s 56%. She also won 47% of her second-serve points and 60% points on return on the latter’s second serve. The 19-year-old also converted five break points on Hontama’s serve and saved two of the four break points she faced.This is the first time in her career Krueger’s reached the finale of a WTA tournament in her career.

In fact, this week marked several milestones for the world no. 123. She made it to her maiden semi-final before reaching the final. Also, this is the first time she won more than two matches consecutively in a WTA tournament. Previously, at the Libema Open in S’Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands, Krueger reached the quarter-finals after having won her first and second-round matches in the WTA 250 on grass.