Zheng Qinwen of China hits a return during the women's singles second round match against Bernarda Pera of the United States at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia on Jan. 18, 2023. (Photo by Hu Jingchen/Xinhua)

China's rising star Zheng Qinwen beat home favorite Jasmine Paolini in the final of the Palermo Open to claim her first WTA singles title on Sunday.

Zheng, who was named the WTA 2022 Newcomer of the Year, had reached her maiden WTA final at last season's Pan Pacific Open, but was beaten by Russia's Liudmila Samsonova in straight sets.

Facing Paolini, who had knocked out top seed Daria Kasatkina in the quarterfinals, Zheng showed good form to secure the victory 6-4, 1-6, 6-1.

"This is really special for me. This is my first WTA 250 championship. I will remember that," said the 20-year-old, whose first career win also came in this tournament in 2021.

"I want to thank all the people who supported me, thank myself for my struggle, [and] thank my team, after experiencing failure, tears, regrets and disappointments. I finally tasted the taste of victory," she added.

After her win, Zheng's live ranking has risen to No. 24. 

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