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Bu Yuxi wins Hangzhou International Women's Tennis Open

Chinese qualifier Bu Yuxi won the Hangzhou International Women's Tennis Open on Sunday after battling past eighth seed Kristina Mladenovic of France 6-1, 6-2 in the final.

The 23-year-old Bu, ranked 400th in the world, became the first Chinese player to win a WTA 125 title since Zhang Shuai in 2022.

Bu, who had never won a WTA match before this week, saved a match point in her semi-final win over Varvara Gracheva and then produced another strong performance in the final to beat Mladenovic in straight sets.

Bu's victory is a major upset

Bu's victory is a major upset, as Mladenovic is a former world number 10 and has won seven WTA titles.

However, Bu played aggressively from the start and never allowed Mladenovic to settle into a rhythm.

Bu broke Mladenovic's serve three times in the first set and twice in the second set to secure a comfortable victory.

Bu is the first Chinese player to win a WTA 125 title since 2022

Bu is the first Chinese player to win a WTA 125 title since Zhang Shuai in 2022.

She is also the first Chinese player to reach the final of a WTA 125 tournament since Wang Xinyu in 2021.

Bu's victory is a sign of the growing strength of Chinese women's tennis.