Alycia Parks, Lin Zhu win first singles titles in WTA

It was the first victory over a top 5 player for Parks, a 22-year-old native of Georgia, who put on a display of power with 15 aces. She won points on 85 percent of her first serves and saved all four break points she faced.

Garcia is the World’s No. 5 player and was playing in her home country, looking for her 12th career title. She converted 80 percent of her first serves into points and staved off two break points until championship point, when she double faulted on the final break point of the match.

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Thailand Open:

Lin Zhu of China was another first-time WTA tour winner, defeating Lesia Tsurenko 6-4, 6-4 in Hua Hin.

Zhu, 29, needed one hour, 45 minutes to defeat the Ukrainian. The match continued her strong start to the 2023 season; she reached the quarterfinals in Auckland and the fourth round of the Australian Open fourth round. She will move into the top 50 of the rankings this week.

Neither player was at the top of her service game. Zhu earned points on 52 percent of her first serves, with Tsurenko converting just 38 percent. And in a match that saw 23 break point opportunities, Zhu cashed in on eight of nine attempts but saved only eight of 14 break points on her serve.

It was the first final for Tsurenko, formerly ranked No. 23 in the world, since 2019 as she has dealt with injuries in recent years.

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