Samantha Stosur won the WTA’s Japan Open title on Sunday with a three-set final victory over Canadian teenager Eugenie Bouchard.

The Australian prevailed 3-6 7-5 6-2 to claim her fifth career title and first since she beat then world No.3 Victoria Azarenka at the Southern California Open final in early August.

Third-seeded Stosur had to dig deep to overcome one of the game’s brightest young talents, who was playing in her first WTA final.

The 29-year-old could only convert seven of her 15 break point opportunities but eventually won in two hours and 13 minutes at the Utsubo Tennis Centre in Osaka.

Stosur, whose rank has dropped from a season-opening No.9 to her current No.20, lost her only previous clash with the 19-year-old world No.35 last April in Charleston when she retired due to injury while trailing 6-1 2-0.

Stosur’s passage to the decider in Osaka was helped by the withdrawal of top seed Jelena Jankovic just before the tournament started, while second seed Sabine Lisicki pulled out of her second-round clash against Polona Hercog due to injury.