Martina Hingis attends awards ceremony for Toray Pan Pacific Open, hands trophy to Veronika Kudermetova after Russian beats Jessica Pegula in final

Martina Hingis attended the awards ceremony of the 2023 Toray Pan Pacific Open. She presented the coveted trophy to Veronika Kudermetova, who beat Jessica Pegula in the final.

Kudermetova defeated Pegula 7-5, 6-1 in one hour and 24 minutes, marking her second career WTA singles title, a long-awaited achievement after a two-and-a-half-year drought.

The Russian won both her titles at WTA 500 events, with her previous triumph taking place at the 2021 Charleston Open, where she defeated Danka Kovinic in the final.

Swiss tennis legend Martina Hingis graced the awards ceremony as she presented the trophy to Veronika Kudermetova. The official social media pages of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) shared a video of Hingis presenting a beautiful flower bouquet to the 26-year-old.

With the win at the 2023 Toray Pan Pacific Open, Kudermetova has now emerged victorious in five out of her last six encounters against top 10 opponents.

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"Jessica Pegula is a great player, she’s a great fighter, and I prepared myself for the fight" - Veronika Kudermetova

Veronika Kudermetova and Jessica Pegula at the Japan Pan Pacific Open

Following her victory against Jessica Pegula, Veronika Kudermetova gave her thoughts on her opponent and the match. Kudermetova acknowledged Pegula's exceptional skills, revealing that she had prepared for a fierce battle against the American.

"Jessica is a great player, she’s a great fighter, and I prepared myself for the fight," Kudermetova said. "When it was 5-5 in the first set, I just said to myself, ‘Veronika, you just need to fight, you just need to do everything that you can,’ and I did."

Kudermetova also expressed her immense joy for the victory, emphasizing that the win held a special significance for her due to the challenges she had faced over the past couple of years. The Russian further expressed that the title triumph has provided her with a great deal of motivation for the upcoming weeks.

"I’m really happy because before, it was not an easy time for me, it was really tough moments," Kudermetova said. "Now I’m really happy and I have a lot of motivation for the next weeks."

Veronika Kudermetova maintained her unbeaten record against World No.4, Jessica Pegula. In their solitary prior meeting, the Russian emerged victorious with a hard-fought 6-4, 0-6, 6-4 win during the quarterfinals of the 2023 Madrid Open.