American seventh-seeded Christina McHale came from behind to beat Katerina Siniakova in a rain-disrupted final and win the Japan Women's Open title on Sunday. McHale scored a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory over the unseeded Czech at Ariake Tennis Forest Park.
The 24-year-old American had reached the final with a narrow victory over Jana Cepelova of Slovakia on Saturday.
McHale was trailing when Sunday's match was suspended due to rain in the second set. When it resumed, she charged back to triumph over Siniakova after a battle lasting two hours and 48 minutes. "I don't even want to put my trophy down - I just want to hold it all the time," McHale said during the trophy presentation, according to the WTA website. "I've been coming to this tournament for a few years now and I really love it here. Thanks to all the fans and everyone here for sticking through all the rain delays - we've had a few, especially today!" McHale's only previous WTA final was at Acapulco in 2014.
The unseeded Siniakova again missed a shot at the crown after losing in the final in Bastad, Sweden, in July. "I'm here in the final for the second time and unfortunately it was really tough for me, so I'm a little sad. But Christina played really well, so congratulations to her," she was quoted as saying.