By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday September 14, 2019
Doubles partners and history makers.
Japan’s Nao Hibino and Misaki Doi will play the WTA’s first all-Japanese final in 22 years on Sunday at the Hana-Cupid Japan Women’s Open in Hiroshima.
Hibino and Doi, who reached the doubles final on Friday with a 6-3 6-4 victory over Miyo Katu and Storm Sanders, each battled through higher-ranked players on Saturday to set up a final of players ranked outside the Top 100.
Hibino defeated Romania’s Mihaela Buzarnescu 4-6 6-0 6-3, while Doi stopped second-seeded Veronika Kudermetova of Russia 6-4 6-3.
Not since Jakarta in 1997, where Naoko Sawamatsu defeated Yuka Yoshida 6-3, 6-2, have two Japanese players contested a singles final on the WTA Tour.
28-year-old Doi, ranked 107, and 24-year-old Hibino, ranked 146, are both seeking their second WTA title. The pair have split four previous meetings with Hibino winning the last two.
Hiroshima will host the third WTA final of the season between players ranked outside the Top 100. In the Prague final, World No.146 Jil Teichmann defeated World No.106 Karolina Muchova; in the Bucharest final, World No.106 Elena Rybakina defeated unranked Patricia Maria Tig.
Hibino and Doi will face American Christina McHale and Russian Valeria Savinykh in the doubles final.