ITF

ITFWORLD SPRING 2016 25 www.itftennis.com In the men's final, Hong proved just that bit too solid for Ruud, emerging a 75 63 winner to follow in the footsteps of 2015 champion Andrey Rublev. "I just feel great," enthused Hong after improving his 2016 record to an impressive 23-1 at all levels. "I want to be like [Kei] Nishikori," he responded without hesitation when asked about his future goals. "I want to be Top 5 in the world and I will work hard." Ruud was bitterly disappointed with his loss but he took time to charm the thousands in attendance at the prize ceremony by showing off the few Chinese words he had learned. Anna Blinkova produced some superb tennis en route to the women's title but the determined Russian may just have saved her best performance for the press conference room. Asked who her tennis idol is, her response sent the media into a flurry of excitement. "Actually, my favourite player was Li Na," she said. "Honestly, absolutely honestly. I always loved her style of play and her behaviour on the court." Blinkova packs a punch, putting her opponents under pressure with a super blend of power, depth and the odd delicate touch. She overcame two Americans to advance to the final: the big-hitting Usue Arconada 63 63 and 16-year-old Kayla Day 63 36 62. Her opponent in the final was Katie Swan, a player tagged as Britain's next big hope and it's not hard to see why. Swan recently turned 17 and has already posted some big results and made her Fed Cup by BNP Paribas debut earlier this year. She strikes the ball beautifully and if she can bring her big game together over the next few years then she promises to do something special. Swan battled past Miriam Kolodziejova 76 62 on the opening day before edging close friend Charlotte Robillard-Millette 63 75 to set up an intriguing final between the top two seeds. Blinkova, last year's Wimbledon junior finalist, had lost to Swan in their three previous meetings but in front of an enthralled crowd in Chengdu the Russian gained revenge to win 64 67 76 in two hours and 42 minutes. "This is the best day of my life so far," Blinkova beamed, and it was about to get even better. At the trophy ceremony a familiar face popped up to present her with her prize — two-time Grand Slam champion Li Na. "I can't describe my feelings," Blinkova said. "It's amazing. It was an extremely tough match, very nervous and full of winners and unforced errors. But finally I did it and I feel incredible." Hong and Blinkova took home $15,000-worth of travel grants and first pick on a selection of wildcards into tour events. Former player Chanda Rubin, second left with the women at the draw, was Athlete R ole Model for the event Anna Blinkova beat Swan in a tough final Katie Swan was No. 1 seed Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera reached the semis Tereza Mihalikova with Chinese fans Top seed Casper Ruud was runner-up

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