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Only one player can cash the winner’s check, but both champion Renata Zarazua and runner-up Hanna Chang had reason for satisfaction after the final of the Fifth Third Charleston WTA 125 on Nov. 24 at LTP Mount Pleasant. Zarazua won her second WTA 125 singles title with a 6-1, 7-6 victory over Chang, who played in her first 125 final; both tennis pros are projected to achieve career-best WTA rankings next week.
“It means a lot,” said Zarazua, who is projected to move from No. 60 to No. 51.
“I think I’ve worked my way through it. “I don’t have a lot of strengths, but I think I just keep believing in myself and kind of doing the hard work on the side. (Winning) is like a gift you can give yourself for working hard every day.
” The 27-year-old Zarazua collected the WTA winner’s check of $15,000, plus a 5/3 bonus of $9,900 from sponsor Fifth Third Bank, bringing her total to $24,900. Not a bad bonus for spending a week in one of her favorite spots on the WTA Tour. Zarazua has played in many ITF-level events in Charleston; the trophy she won Sunday was her second in a WTA 125-level event after she won in Uruguay a year ago.
“I love this place,” said Zarazua, who is from Mexico City. “It’s so peaceful, every time you come here. And the tournament is so well organized, it makes you able to go on the court and just do your job.
” Chang, a 26-year-old American from Los Angeles, collected the runner-up check of $8,500 and will climb from No. 194 to No. 169 in WTA Tour rankings.
“It was by far the best week I’ve had so far (as a pro),” said Chang, who defeated former WTA top 20 player Varvara Lepchenko in the quarterfinals. “(Zarazua) played really well, but I also played pretty good, so I’m happy with what I’m doing.” Zarazua, who has won two Grand Slam matches in her career and played in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, looked ready to breeze to victory after rolling through the first set.
A nifty drop shot on a service return gave Zarazua an early break in the first set, and she jumped to a 4-2 lead in the second, serving for the match at 5-3. But she seemed to tighten up while Chang found the range, rallying to force a second-set tiebreak. “I was a bit nervous,” Zarazua said.
“It was a bit unexpected, because I was just coming back from Denmark not really knowing what to expect. (Chang) has a really tricky game and got to a lot of drop shots, which was a bit annoying. But she really knows how to play.
” Zarazua moved to a 4-1 lead to start the tiebreak, and clinched on her first match point when a Chang shot hit the tape. “Vamos! Si!” Zarazua shouted in victory..
