Canberra: British-Taiwanese tennis player Joanna Garland claimed the singles title at the WTA Workday Canberra International, defeating Uzbekistan’s Polina Kudermetova, the No. 3 seed, 6-4, 6-2 in straight sets at the Canberra Tennis Centre. The tournament is part of the WTA 125 series.

According to Focus Taiwan, the match lasted 1 hour, 24 minutes, during which the 24-year-old Garland, ranked world No. 129 and Taiwan’s highest-ranked female singles player, maintained an attacking stance. She notably broke serve in the pivotal seventh game to claim the opening set and dominated the next game by scoring four consecutive points. Despite her opponent’s attempts to fight back, Garland secured the victory.

This win marks a significant achievement for Garland as she became the first Taiwanese woman to win a WTA 125 singles title after six previous attempts since 2012. She is the fourth Taiwanese player to reach a WTA 125 singles final, following Kelly Chang, Latisha Chan, and Hsieh Su-wei.

Garland, born in the United Kingdom to a British father and Taiwanese mother, moved to Taiwan when she was 10. She won the Taiwan national U18 tennis championship in 2016 and began competing on the professional circuit in 2019. She ended 2024 with a 29-match winning streak on the ITF Circuit, bagging five consecutive titles.

Carrying that momentum into 2025, Garland added three more ITF singles crowns and reached a career-high world ranking of No. 120 on November 3, as noted by the WTA.