Jessica Pegula wins Korea Open for fourth career WTA title

SEOUL — Jessica Pegula beat Yuan Yue 6-2, 6-3 in the Korean Open final on Sunday to win the fourth title of her career.

Top-seeded Pegula lost just one set throughout the tournament and became the first American since Venus Williams in 2007 to win the title in Seoul.

“My mom is Korean and she was adopted here, so it’s really special to be able to win here,” Pegula said. “Over the last few years, as my ranking has gone up, I’ve definitely felt a lot more support from the fans, a lot more than I expected when I came back here five years ago. “So it’s really special.”

Playing in her first career final, Yuan, 128th, showed no signs of nerves and earned a break point in Pegula’s first service game, which the American saved with a forehand winner.

The world number 4 ranked player then won eight straight games to win the first set and take a 3-0 lead in the second as a quick victory looked likely.

Yuan then rallied to get back to 3-4, but Pegula’s power from the baseline propelled her to her first title since Montreal earlier this year and her first outside of North America .