Aoi Ito got her 2025 season off to a perfect start by winning the first WTA 125 title of her career at the Workday Canberra International on Saturday. No.7 seed Ito of Japan defeated Wei Sijia of China 6-4, 6-3 in a 74-minute final in the Australian capital.

Only eight spots in the PIF Rankings separate these two rising players, with Ito placed at No.126 and Wei slightly lower at No.134. Neither player dropped a set en route to the final.

Ultimately, it was 20-year-old Ito who eased past 21-year-old Wei to hoist the trophy. Ito had previously toppled No.1 seed and defending champion Nuria Parrizas Diaz 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinals.

Aoi Ito, Wei Sijia - 2025 Canberra

Anastasia Kachalkova @prosport.photos / Workday Canberra International

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In Saturday's final, Ito broke serve in the very first game, and she did not let up as she cruised to the one-set lead without facing a break point. Ito won 81 percent of her first-serve points (13 of 16) in the opening frame.

The Japanese player got off to a quick start in the second set as well, slamming an overhead to force an error and break Wei for a 2-1 lead. It was smooth sailing for Ito from there, who won the match on Wei's fourth double fault.

Ito did not lose her serve in the final. She now has a 3-0 head-to-head lead over Wei (6-0 in sets).

Inspired by the crafty play of former WTA Doubles World No.1 Hsieh Su-wei, Ito continues her rise towards the top of the game. She made a sparkling Hologic WTA Tour debut in October when she made her way into the Osaka semifinals as a home-soil qualifier. 

Speaking of home-soil players, a pair of Aussies clinched the doubles title in their capital city. No.4 seeds Jaimee Fourlis and Petra Hule beat No.3 seeds Darja Semenistaja of Latvia and Nina Stojanovic of Serbia 7-5, 4-6, [10-6] in Friday's Canberra doubles final.

Fourlis and Hule led 7-5, 4-0 before Semenistaja and Stojanovic reeled off six games in a row to force a decisive match-tiebreak. The Australians grabbed a 5-0 lead in the breaker and held on from there to capture their first career WTA 125 doubles title.