WTA Japan Open: San Stosur faces Eugenie Bouchard in Osaka final

Australian Sam Stosur beat American teenager Madison Keys to return to the final of the WTA Japan Open, where she will face another emerging youngster in Eugenie Bouchard.

Former US Open champion Stosur was the champion in Osaka back in 2009, and is one win away from another title after cruising past Kets 6-1 6-2 at the Utsubo Tennis Center.

Third-seed Stosur is looking for a second title of 2013 year and fifth of her career, and she needed just over an hour to defeat the number six seed Keys.

Another teenager will lay in wait in Sunday’s final, with Canadian Bouchard appearing in her first WTA final after a similarly comfortable semi-final win over Kurumi Nara.

19year-old sixth seed Bouchard beat the unseeded Japanese wildcard 6-2 6-2 in just under an hour-and-a-half.

Stosur faced just three break points against 18-year-old Keys, and all of those came in just one game – the fifth of the first set, and it was otherwise plain sailing for the 29-year-old.

Nerves

“I thought I did everything very well today,” Stosur told the WTA Tour after reaching her second final of the year.

Feeling the nerves of a first ever WTA semi-final, Keys struggled and despite taking the first game of the second set, she was quickly broken twice to suffer a second straight sets defeat against Stosur of the year.

Stosur has slipped down to 20th in the rankings after starting the year as the world No 9, but she won her only other final of 2013 in Carlsbad so will fancy her chances of making it two for 2013.

World No 35 Bouchard will be no pushover though, as the Canadian came out on top in the only previous meeting between the two last April – although Stosur had to retire through injury when 6-1 2-0 behind.

“I’m really looking forward to tomorrow now,” Stosur said as she prepares to bid for her fifth tour title.

“It’s going to be great to be in the final again. Hopefully, I can repeat what I did four years ago instead of two years ago.”