Qualifier Diyas stuns McHale

Qualifier Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan outlasted defending champion Christina McHale 6-4, 0-6, 6-3 Saturday to advance to the final of the Japan Women’s Open.

Diyas was down 3-1 in the final set but broke the 25-year-old American twice to complete the victory and secure her second WTA final. Diyas, a finalist here in 2014, will face either Croatia’s Jana Fett or Japan’s Miyu Kato in Sunday’s final. Diyas had previously beaten eighthseeded Yulia Putintseva and second-seeded Zhang Shuhai before facing McHale in the last four. —