Brace C. edged past Kinoshita H. 7-5, 7-6 in Sao Paulo, winning the big points on return when it mattered. She converted four break points to Kinoshita's three and saved four of seven, while her opponent saved none of the four she faced.
The opening set was a trade of breaks early - Brace broke at 0-1, Kinoshita struck back at 1-1, and Brace edged ahead again at 1-2. It went with serve until Kinoshita levelled by breaking at 5-5, only for Brace to break straight back at 5-6 and serve it out. In the second, Brace broke at 1-2 and held the advantage until Kinoshita broke back at 5-5, forcing a tie-break that Brace took.
Brace's first-serve percentage in the second set was the standout figure: 45 of 53 (85%), which helped her win 33 service points to Kinoshita's 26. Kinoshita was the sharper server on some counts - two aces to none and 65% of first-serve points across the match - but going 0 for 4 in break points saved settled it.