Japanese rookie joins twin sister as LPGA Tour champ
The 23-year-old Japanese capped her bogey-free round with birdies on the final two holes, running in an 18-footer on the last before Chisato rushed on the green and sprayed her with champagne.
Akie Iwai broke through in her first season on the LPGA Tour after winning six times on the JLPGA Tour.
She had second-place finishes in Thailand in February and Los Angeles in April, then watched her sister win at Mayakoba in May in Mexico. On Sunday, Chisato Iwai shot a 64 to tie for third, five strokes back.
The winner finished at 24-under 264 on the tree-lined course. She opened with consecutive 67s, then shot a 64 on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead into the final round.
Akie Iwai is the fifth player from Japan to win this season, following her sister, Rio Takeda, Mao Saigo and Miyu Yamashita.
"This is a special year for us," Akie Iwai said.
"When I saw my mom crying, oh.
"So many Japanese people this year won, so inspired me."
They are the fourth set of sisters to win on the LPGA Tour, joining Jessica and Nelly Korda, Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn and Annika and Charlotta Sorenstam.
American Gurleen Kaur was a career-best second, closing with a 65. Linn Grant of Sweden had a 67 to join Chisato Iwai at 19 under, while Grace Kim (70) - who started the round in second - finished fifth at 18 under as the best-placed Australian.
Cassie Porter (67) was three shots further back, with fellow Aussies Robyn Choi (65) 14 under and Gabriela Ruffels (70) eight under.
American amateur Kiara Romero shot a 64 to tie for seventh at 16 under in her first tour start.
"It feels great to just play really well my first LPGA event," Romero said.
"Kind of gives me a lot of confidence going into the school year ..."
The tournament is the longest continuous event on the LPGA Tour except for the majors, dating to 1972.
With AAP.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Kyrgios out of US Open doubles, de Minaur not invited
Nick Kyrgios has pulled out of his proposed US Open doubles pairing with Naomi Osaka, casting doubt on his participation in the singles. Kyrgios' absence was revealed when the US Tennis Association released the draw for the controversially remodelled event, which also confirmed Alex de Minaur's plea to be included with British fiancee Katie Boulter had been rejected. Kyrgios has been troubled by injuries for three years and recently posted his knee was "cooked". Australian world No.8 De MInaur, who had asked for a wildcard "pretty pretty please" via social media, is the highest-ranked man not in the event. This was despite several other withdrawals, which left new pairing Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper as the No.1 seeds after both their planned partners pulled out. British men's world No.5 Draper was due to play with Paula Badosa and women's world No. 4 Pegula with fellow American Tommy Paul. There could yet be further withdrawals. The event begins Tuesday (local time) with the first round and quarter-finals being played then. Yet Carlos Alcaraz plays Jannik Sinner in the final of the Cincinnati Open in Ohio on Monday. They are due to partner, respectively, Emma Raducanu and, in another new pairing, Katerina Siniakova. The Czech women's doubles No.2 has replaced Emma Navarro as partner of the men's singles world No.1. French veteran Gael Monfils, who partnered Kyrgios in the DC Open in Washington recently, has replaced him as Osaka's partner. Another eye-catching duo are 45-year-old Venus Williams and fellow American Reilly Opelka. They are among eight wildcards with the other eight pairings selected on the basis of combined singles rankings - thus Draper and Pegula as top seeds. The qualification policy is just one reason why the event, designed to attract attention of fans, sponsors, television and social media, is controversial. Prize money has been increased five-fold to $US 1 million ($A1.5m) but only four games will be required to win a set in matches before Wednesday's final, with no-advantage scoring (four points will be needed to win a game) and 10-point match tie-breaks instead of a third set throughout. Last year's US Open mixed doubles champions, Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori have dismissed the new format as a "pseudo-exhibition focused only on entertainment and show" that would shut out true doubles players. Having been given a wildcard they will have the chance to make their case for doubles specialists on court with their first match against No.2 seeds Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz. US OPEN MIXED DOUBLES DRAW Jessica Pegula & Jack Draper (1) v Emma Raducanu & Carlos Alcaraz Olga Danilovic & Novak Djokovic v Mirra Andreeva & Daniil Medvedev Iga Swiatek & Casper Ruud (3) v Madison Keys & Frances Tiafoe Naomi Osaka & Gael Monfils v Caty McNally & Lorenzo Musetti Katerina Siniakova & Jannik Sinner v Belinda Bencic & Alexander Zverev Taylor Townsend & Ben Shelton v Amanda Anisimova & Holger Rune (4) Venus Williams & Reilly Opelka v Katarina Muchova & Andrey Rublev Sara Errani & Andrea Vavassori v Elena Rybakina & Taylor Fritz (2) (seeds in brackets) Nick Kyrgios has pulled out of his proposed US Open doubles pairing with Naomi Osaka, casting doubt on his participation in the singles. Kyrgios' absence was revealed when the US Tennis Association released the draw for the controversially remodelled event, which also confirmed Alex de Minaur's plea to be included with British fiancee Katie Boulter had been rejected. Kyrgios has been troubled by injuries for three years and recently posted his knee was "cooked". Australian world No.8 De MInaur, who had asked for a wildcard "pretty pretty please" via social media, is the highest-ranked man not in the event. This was despite several other withdrawals, which left new pairing Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper as the No.1 seeds after both their planned partners pulled out. British men's world No.5 Draper was due to play with Paula Badosa and women's world No. 4 Pegula with fellow American Tommy Paul. There could yet be further withdrawals. The event begins Tuesday (local time) with the first round and quarter-finals being played then. Yet Carlos Alcaraz plays Jannik Sinner in the final of the Cincinnati Open in Ohio on Monday. They are due to partner, respectively, Emma Raducanu and, in another new pairing, Katerina Siniakova. The Czech women's doubles No.2 has replaced Emma Navarro as partner of the men's singles world No.1. French veteran Gael Monfils, who partnered Kyrgios in the DC Open in Washington recently, has replaced him as Osaka's partner. Another eye-catching duo are 45-year-old Venus Williams and fellow American Reilly Opelka. They are among eight wildcards with the other eight pairings selected on the basis of combined singles rankings - thus Draper and Pegula as top seeds. The qualification policy is just one reason why the event, designed to attract attention of fans, sponsors, television and social media, is controversial. Prize money has been increased five-fold to $US 1 million ($A1.5m) but only four games will be required to win a set in matches before Wednesday's final, with no-advantage scoring (four points will be needed to win a game) and 10-point match tie-breaks instead of a third set throughout. Last year's US Open mixed doubles champions, Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori have dismissed the new format as a "pseudo-exhibition focused only on entertainment and show" that would shut out true doubles players. Having been given a wildcard they will have the chance to make their case for doubles specialists on court with their first match against No.2 seeds Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz. US OPEN MIXED DOUBLES DRAW Jessica Pegula & Jack Draper (1) v Emma Raducanu & Carlos Alcaraz Olga Danilovic & Novak Djokovic v Mirra Andreeva & Daniil Medvedev Iga Swiatek & Casper Ruud (3) v Madison Keys & Frances Tiafoe Naomi Osaka & Gael Monfils v Caty McNally & Lorenzo Musetti Katerina Siniakova & Jannik Sinner v Belinda Bencic & Alexander Zverev Taylor Townsend & Ben Shelton v Amanda Anisimova & Holger Rune (4) Venus Williams & Reilly Opelka v Katarina Muchova & Andrey Rublev Sara Errani & Andrea Vavassori v Elena Rybakina & Taylor Fritz (2) (seeds in brackets) Nick Kyrgios has pulled out of his proposed US Open doubles pairing with Naomi Osaka, casting doubt on his participation in the singles. Kyrgios' absence was revealed when the US Tennis Association released the draw for the controversially remodelled event, which also confirmed Alex de Minaur's plea to be included with British fiancee Katie Boulter had been rejected. Kyrgios has been troubled by injuries for three years and recently posted his knee was "cooked". Australian world No.8 De MInaur, who had asked for a wildcard "pretty pretty please" via social media, is the highest-ranked man not in the event. This was despite several other withdrawals, which left new pairing Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper as the No.1 seeds after both their planned partners pulled out. British men's world No.5 Draper was due to play with Paula Badosa and women's world No. 4 Pegula with fellow American Tommy Paul. There could yet be further withdrawals. The event begins Tuesday (local time) with the first round and quarter-finals being played then. Yet Carlos Alcaraz plays Jannik Sinner in the final of the Cincinnati Open in Ohio on Monday. They are due to partner, respectively, Emma Raducanu and, in another new pairing, Katerina Siniakova. The Czech women's doubles No.2 has replaced Emma Navarro as partner of the men's singles world No.1. French veteran Gael Monfils, who partnered Kyrgios in the DC Open in Washington recently, has replaced him as Osaka's partner. Another eye-catching duo are 45-year-old Venus Williams and fellow American Reilly Opelka. They are among eight wildcards with the other eight pairings selected on the basis of combined singles rankings - thus Draper and Pegula as top seeds. The qualification policy is just one reason why the event, designed to attract attention of fans, sponsors, television and social media, is controversial. Prize money has been increased five-fold to $US 1 million ($A1.5m) but only four games will be required to win a set in matches before Wednesday's final, with no-advantage scoring (four points will be needed to win a game) and 10-point match tie-breaks instead of a third set throughout. Last year's US Open mixed doubles champions, Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori have dismissed the new format as a "pseudo-exhibition focused only on entertainment and show" that would shut out true doubles players. Having been given a wildcard they will have the chance to make their case for doubles specialists on court with their first match against No.2 seeds Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz. US OPEN MIXED DOUBLES DRAW Jessica Pegula & Jack Draper (1) v Emma Raducanu & Carlos Alcaraz Olga Danilovic & Novak Djokovic v Mirra Andreeva & Daniil Medvedev Iga Swiatek & Casper Ruud (3) v Madison Keys & Frances Tiafoe Naomi Osaka & Gael Monfils v Caty McNally & Lorenzo Musetti Katerina Siniakova & Jannik Sinner v Belinda Bencic & Alexander Zverev Taylor Townsend & Ben Shelton v Amanda Anisimova & Holger Rune (4) Venus Williams & Reilly Opelka v Katarina Muchova & Andrey Rublev Sara Errani & Andrea Vavassori v Elena Rybakina & Taylor Fritz (2) (seeds in brackets) Nick Kyrgios has pulled out of his proposed US Open doubles pairing with Naomi Osaka, casting doubt on his participation in the singles. Kyrgios' absence was revealed when the US Tennis Association released the draw for the controversially remodelled event, which also confirmed Alex de Minaur's plea to be included with British fiancee Katie Boulter had been rejected. Kyrgios has been troubled by injuries for three years and recently posted his knee was "cooked". Australian world No.8 De MInaur, who had asked for a wildcard "pretty pretty please" via social media, is the highest-ranked man not in the event. This was despite several other withdrawals, which left new pairing Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper as the No.1 seeds after both their planned partners pulled out. British men's world No.5 Draper was due to play with Paula Badosa and women's world No. 4 Pegula with fellow American Tommy Paul. There could yet be further withdrawals. The event begins Tuesday (local time) with the first round and quarter-finals being played then. Yet Carlos Alcaraz plays Jannik Sinner in the final of the Cincinnati Open in Ohio on Monday. They are due to partner, respectively, Emma Raducanu and, in another new pairing, Katerina Siniakova. The Czech women's doubles No.2 has replaced Emma Navarro as partner of the men's singles world No.1. French veteran Gael Monfils, who partnered Kyrgios in the DC Open in Washington recently, has replaced him as Osaka's partner. Another eye-catching duo are 45-year-old Venus Williams and fellow American Reilly Opelka. They are among eight wildcards with the other eight pairings selected on the basis of combined singles rankings - thus Draper and Pegula as top seeds. The qualification policy is just one reason why the event, designed to attract attention of fans, sponsors, television and social media, is controversial. Prize money has been increased five-fold to $US 1 million ($A1.5m) but only four games will be required to win a set in matches before Wednesday's final, with no-advantage scoring (four points will be needed to win a game) and 10-point match tie-breaks instead of a third set throughout. Last year's US Open mixed doubles champions, Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori have dismissed the new format as a "pseudo-exhibition focused only on entertainment and show" that would shut out true doubles players. Having been given a wildcard they will have the chance to make their case for doubles specialists on court with their first match against No.2 seeds Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz. US OPEN MIXED DOUBLES DRAW Jessica Pegula & Jack Draper (1) v Emma Raducanu & Carlos Alcaraz Olga Danilovic & Novak Djokovic v Mirra Andreeva & Daniil Medvedev Iga Swiatek & Casper Ruud (3) v Madison Keys & Frances Tiafoe Naomi Osaka & Gael Monfils v Caty McNally & Lorenzo Musetti Katerina Siniakova & Jannik Sinner v Belinda Bencic & Alexander Zverev Taylor Townsend & Ben Shelton v Amanda Anisimova & Holger Rune (4) Venus Williams & Reilly Opelka v Katarina Muchova & Andrey Rublev Sara Errani & Andrea Vavassori v Elena Rybakina & Taylor Fritz (2) (seeds in brackets)
Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Perth Now
Kyrgios out of US Open doubles, de Minaur not invited
Nick Kyrgios has pulled out of his proposed US Open doubles pairing with Naomi Osaka, casting doubt on his participation in the singles. Kyrgios' absence was revealed when the US Tennis Association released the draw for the controversially remodelled event, which also confirmed Alex de Minaur's plea to be included with British fiancee Katie Boulter had been rejected. Kyrgios has been troubled by injuries for three years and recently posted his knee was "cooked". Australian world No.8 De MInaur, who had asked for a wildcard "pretty pretty please" via social media, is the highest-ranked man not in the event. This was despite several other withdrawals, which left new pairing Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper as the No.1 seeds after both their planned partners pulled out. British men's world No.5 Draper was due to play with Paula Badosa and women's world No. 4 Pegula with fellow American Tommy Paul. There could yet be further withdrawals. The event begins Tuesday (local time) with the first round and quarter-finals being played then. Yet Carlos Alcaraz plays Jannik Sinner in the final of the Cincinnati Open in Ohio on Monday. They are due to partner, respectively, Emma Raducanu and, in another new pairing, Katerina Siniakova. The Czech women's doubles No.2 has replaced Emma Navarro as partner of the men's singles world No.1. French veteran Gael Monfils, who partnered Kyrgios in the DC Open in Washington recently, has replaced him as Osaka's partner. Another eye-catching duo are 45-year-old Venus Williams and fellow American Reilly Opelka. They are among eight wildcards with the other eight pairings selected on the basis of combined singles rankings - thus Draper and Pegula as top seeds. The qualification policy is just one reason why the event, designed to attract attention of fans, sponsors, television and social media, is controversial. Prize money has been increased five-fold to $US 1 million ($A1.5m) but only four games will be required to win a set in matches before Wednesday's final, with no-advantage scoring (four points will be needed to win a game) and 10-point match tie-breaks instead of a third set throughout. Last year's US Open mixed doubles champions, Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori have dismissed the new format as a "pseudo-exhibition focused only on entertainment and show" that would shut out true doubles players. Having been given a wildcard they will have the chance to make their case for doubles specialists on court with their first match against No.2 seeds Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz. US OPEN MIXED DOUBLES DRAW Jessica Pegula & Jack Draper (1) v Emma Raducanu & Carlos Alcaraz Olga Danilovic & Novak Djokovic v Mirra Andreeva & Daniil Medvedev Iga Swiatek & Casper Ruud (3) v Madison Keys & Frances Tiafoe Naomi Osaka & Gael Monfils v Caty McNally & Lorenzo Musetti Katerina Siniakova & Jannik Sinner v Belinda Bencic & Alexander Zverev Taylor Townsend & Ben Shelton v Amanda Anisimova & Holger Rune (4) Venus Williams & Reilly Opelka v Katarina Muchova & Andrey Rublev Sara Errani & Andrea Vavassori v Elena Rybakina & Taylor Fritz (2) (seeds in brackets)
Courier-Mail
7 hours ago
- Courier-Mail
Nikita Tszyu fight: Fight week rocked by legal threats after mysterious press conference absence
Don't miss out on the headlines from Boxing/MMA. Followed categories will be added to My News. Michael Zerafa was mysteriously absent at Monday's press conference ahead of this Wednesday's pay-per-view card at the ICC Exhibition Centre in Sydney. Zerafa is due to fight American Mikey Dahlman in the co-main event of Nikita Tszyu's boxing return against Lulzim Ismaili, but wasn't present at the standard fight week presser at Moore Park on Monday afternoon. 'I have been informed that he won't be here, but I have been informed he'll be at the weigh in tomorrow,' said No Limit CEO George Rose. 'I was just informed not long ago before coming on air, but he will be coming to the weigh-ins tomorrow.' Zerafa later issued an incendiary statement claiming he had been told not to attend the press conference, and even threatened legal action. 'They went ahead and falsely told national TV and streaming audiences that I 'no showed',' Zerafa wrote on Instagram. 'That is not just dishonest it's defamation. Zerafa mysteriously didn't attend Monday's press conference. Picture: No Limit Boxing 'You cannot remove someone, then publicly shame them for not being there. 'That's a direct attack on my integrity, my professionalism, and my name. 'And that has real consequences. 'This attempt to damage my reputation is serious and it won't be ignored. 'Our legal team has now been contacted. Enough is enough.' Four years ago, Zerafa was scheduled to face Tim Tszyu on a No Limit card in Newcastle, but pulled out due to concerns around travelling interstate during Covid. Queensland's Stevie Spark was a late-notice call up then, but Rose said there were no concerns about ahead of Wednesday night. 'No, let's keep the ball rolling,' Rose dead-batted when asked if he had any worries about the co-main event. 'Mikey (Dahlman), he's got a really good energy, he's happy to be out here. 'I think he's a guy who can upset the plan too. The fight is happening.' Dahlman had a horror trip from his home in Illinois to Sydney, including 36 hours' worth of flight delays. He was eventually forced to rebook his own flights via Dubai to Australia, arriving late last week. 'It was unexpected, because I know Zerafa is a bad boy and a villain,' Dahlman said. 'We all lead different lives, and if he's got something going on, he's gotta answer those questions, not me. 'I've got a job to do. I'm not changing my game-plan just because he's not at a press conference.' Mikey Dahlman promises to cause a boilover against Zerafa. Picture: No Limit Boxing The laidback Dahlman, who arrived in Sydney with his fiancée, said he feels like a hometown fighter in Sydney. 'I was definitely expecting a much bigger hate crowd,' he laughed. 'I got much more support for sure, I love it. 'I'm here to win, I've got business to do and I think I can beat him.' If they both win on Wednesday, No Limit is expected to push for a domestic blockbuster between Nikita and Zerafa in December. Zerafa insists he isn't interested in a fight with the younger Tszyu brother though, and only has eyes on Tim. The impasse has apparently resulted in a breakdown between Zerafa and No Limit, contributing to 'The Pretty Boy's' press conference absence. No Limit and the Tszyu camp have been adamant for months that Zerafa must fight Nikita before any bout with Tim is possible. Nikita Tszyu is just focused on Lulzim Ismaili. Picture: No Limit Boxing 'The rivalry is between me and Tim, that's the one they should be going with,' Zerafa told Code Sports. 'I've got no beef with Nikita. 'They're making it out like I need them. I'm an opportunity for Tim to bounce back and for Nikita to make a name for himself. 'Realistically they need me, I don't need them.' Tim and Nikita Tszyu's manager, Glen Jennings immediately hosed down any thought of a fight between Zerafa and 'The Soul Taker'. 'He can be as adamant as he wants about fighting Tim, but you don't get everything you want in life,' Jennings told Code Sports. 'He also wants a $100,000 Bentley. 'Dream on. 'Tim Tszyu decides on who fights Tim Tszyu. 'Since Newcastle, Tim has stuck by his stance that he won't fight Michael Zerafa, and I stand by that. Brock Jarvis says he'll fight Nikita if Zerafa doesn't. Picture: No Limit Boxing 'Right now, there is an option that we'll consider, and that's Nikita. If he decides not to fight him, that's Michael dodging Nikita. 'Make no mistake about that. 'But if Michael wins on Wednesday night, we'll consider him fighting Nikita.' If Zerafa refuses to fight Nikita, and the impasse remains, Sydney boxer Brock Jarvis says he will gladly step in to face 'The Butcher'. 'I'll step in and fight Nikita, of course. I'm a fighter and I'm here to take on everything that's thrown my way,' Jarvis said. Originally published as Fight week rocked by legal threats after mysterious press conference absence
