Sun notably smashed a staggering 13 aces against Noskova’s four but double faulted five times as compared to the latter’s three. She also maintained a first-serve percentage of 62, which was higher than the champion’s 54.

Noskova, however, fared better in conversion rates as she won 79% of her first-serve and 58% of her second-serve points, whereas Sun averaged 77% and 41%, respectively.

“We played some great tennis, her forehand was really killing,” Noskova said praising the New Zealander as per the WTA Tour. “So I tried to stay off of it as much as possible. But it was tough at times, especially when I was 4-6 [down] in the tiebreak. I’m glad I managed to change that into my positive.”

This was the duo’s second meeting on the court. The two previously faced each other in the first round of the 2024 Cincinnati Open, where Sun prevailed 6-4, 7-6(4). Thus, their head-to-head tally is now balanced at 1-1.

For Noskova, who turned professional in July 2019, it was a third tour-level final after the disappointing results at Prague Open and Adelaide 1 in 2023. In her glorious campaign at Monterrey WTA 500, she defeated Kazakh qualifier Anna Danilina (6-0, 6-1), Chinese Xiyu Wang (6-4, 7-6 (11)), No 5 seed Elina Svitolina (6-4, 6-4) and No 2 seed Emma Navarro (7-6 (7), 7-5) before the summit clash.

The world No 25 now sets her sight on the 2024 US Open, where she’s scheduled to play against Yulia Putintseva in the first round. Her previous campaign in New York finished in the second round, with a loss to Ons Jabeur.