Brazil's Beatriz Haddad Maia takes singles title at Korea Open

Beating Daria Kasatkina of Russia 1-6, 6-4 and 6-1 in the singles final, Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil claimed her first Korea Open title.

Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil returns the ball during the 2024 Hana Bank Korea Open singles final against Daria Kasatkina of Russia at Seoul Olympic Park Tennis Center in southern Seoul on Sunday. [YONHAP]

Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil beat Daria Kasatkina of Russia 1-6, 6-4 and 6-1 in the 2024 Hana Bank Korea Open singles final on Sunday to claim her first Korea Open title and WTA win, securing victory after finishing runner-up in the 2017 tournament singles final.

A massive crowd of Korean fans watched the final at Seoul Olympic Park Tennis Center in southern Seoul on the last day of the Korea Open, although there was not a single Korean player in both the doubles and singles finals.

The singles final took place after Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Liudmila Samsonova of Russia became doubles champions earlier in the day.

The singles final saw Kasatkina winning 6-1 in the beginning, but Haddad Maia came back strong with a score of 6-4 and then 6-1 to secure the title.

The Brazilian became the first player to win the singles title after the annual Korea Open became a WTA 500 tournament.

First started in 2004, the annual tournament became a WTA 125 event in 2021 and was upgraded to a WTA 250 competition the following year, before being upgraded to a 500 event this year, with the number representing the amount of ranking points the winners earn.

This year’s Korea Open failed to see a Korean player reaching the singles final again. No Korean player has even made it to the final, although two players from Asia have won — Japan's Kimiko Date-Krumm in 2009 and China's Zhu Lin in 2021.

Jang Su-jeong was the last Korean alive in the tournament, but she crashed out of the doubles quarterfinals with Sloane Stephens of the United States on Sept. 19.

Jang, who made a record ninth appearance in the Korea Open, also competed in the singles event, but ended her run in the round of 32, as did fellow Korean Back Da-yeon.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]