Christina McHale has claimed her maiden WTA Tour title with a dramatic 3-6 6-4 6-4 victory over Katerina Siniakova at the Japan Women’s Open in Tokyo.
McHale had appeared set to fall short when she trailed by a set and a break before the American reeled off eight successive games to take control.
Unseeded Czech player Siniakova, who was also chasing her first WTA Tour title on Sunday, then bravely battled back from 5-2 down in the decider but McHale held on.
“I don’t even want to put my trophy down – I just want to hold it all the time,” McHale told the WTA Tour website.
“I’ve been coming to this tournament for a few years now and I really love it here.”