Korea's Kang wins Mumbai ITF Futures crown

Unseeded Seo-Kyung Kang of Korea fashioned a shock 6-1, 6-0 victory over No 8 seed Chun-Yan He of China to clinch the title in the Mother's Recipe US $10,000 ITF Women's Futures Tennis Tournament, in Mumbai, on Saturday.

Fresh and focused, Kang emerged a surprise victor as she dominated the championship round that lasted one hour.

Kang, who is 779 on the Women's Tennis Association list, enjoyed a high percentage of first serves and fired three aces in a flawless performance. She chose to play an aggressive game and forced a hapless Chun-Yan on the defensive.

Chun-Yan, who is 770 on the WTA list, found her cause more difficult after enduring a gruelling Friday during which she played a singles and doubles semi-finals and the doubles final.

Kang, 21, raced to a 4-0 lead with a double break in the opening set that reflected her complete control. With the Korean's huge advantage, Chun-Yan had a difficult task of staying in the match.

Chun-Yan, who shocked top seed Anastasia Malhotra of Japan in the semi-finals, broke in the fifth game when Kang's return went wide. But the Korean broke back in the next game for a 5-1 lead as the Chinese girl struggled to find the form that brought her into the final.

Kang left little scope for Chun-Yan to initiate a recovery and completed the demolition of the favourite with three breaks in the second set.

Kang's victory, which will help her break into the top 500, earned her US $1,568 and 10 points, while runner-up Chun-Yan earned US $980 and six points.

"I feel like a champion, I'm thinking like one. I was happy with my first serves and my game was error-free. I play the next tournament in Delhi, but I cannot predict my progress there," said a delighted Kang after her triumph.

Results:

Singles final: Seo-Kyung Kang (Korea) bt Chun-Yan He (China) 6-1, 6-0.

Doubles final: Rushmi Chakravarthi/Isha Lakhani (India) bt Renee Binnie (Aus)/Chun-Yan He (China) 2-6, 6-3, 10-7.