Both Hawaii Open finalists found a measure of redemption Sunday.

In the end, the greater portion belonged to top-seeded Shuai Zhang.

A year after losing in the final of the inaugural Hawaii Open, Zhang was blitzed by Su Jeong Jang in the opening set of Sunday’s championship match at Patsy T. Mink Central Oahu Regional Park. The world’s 36th-ranked player channeled the early frustration into an emotional finish to capture the title in the WTA 125K Series event with a 0-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory.

After closing out the win with a blistering serve, Zhang told the Center Court crowd after losing to CiCi Bellis just about 52 weeks ago, “I told myself I have to come back to win the tournament.”

Battling a week-long illness, the 28-year-old dropped one set in four matches to return to the final, then overcame a slow start and a spirited effort from Jang in a 2-hour, 3-minute duel in gusty conditions in Waipio.

“When you lose the first set 6-love, very tough to come back in a final of a WTA tournament,” Zhang said. “I’m not so good playing with the wind. It made it tough to be aggressive, tough to make the attack, tough to make good contact. That was a very big challenge for me today.”

After Jang’s sizzling start in the 25-minute first set, Zhang said she thought back to her performances over the past week to set the foundation for her comeback.

“I told myself yesterday I played really well, I played unbelievably good,” Zhang said, referring to a 6-2, 6-2, rout of Rebecca Peterson in Saturday’s semifinals. “I have to keep the feeling and don’t give up.”

Predominantly business-like against Peterson — save for the occasional subtle fist pump — Zhang let the emotion flow in the final two sets against Jang.

As the match progressed, the shots that found the net or missed the lines in the first set, hit their marks with Zhang punctuating points with a roaring “C’mon.”

“That’s really bad feeling (losing 6-0). You can’t keep the feeling like this. I must try something different,” Zhang said.

Although Jang ended her second straight tournament with a loss to Zhang, Sunday’s battle was a marked improvement for the 22-year-old Korean compared to her 6-2, 6-2 quarterfinals defeat in an ITF event in Tokyo two weeks ago.

“I was playing really good today. A really good fight against (Zhang), and she had a good fight against me,” Jang said after her first appearance in a WTA final. “I didn’t know I could win the first set 6-0. Even though I lost, (it was a) good experience for me.”

After Zhang won the final four games of the second set, the players held serve through the first five games of the third set with Zhang going up a break at 4-2 on Jang’s second double fault of the game.

Jang answered with a break before Zhang earned the pivotal break in a 12-point game to take a 5-3 lead. The game went to deuce three times before Zhang won a prolonged rally that left both players doubled over, leaning on their rackets.

Zhang lost the first two points on her next serve, then came back with serves of 95, 98 and 100 mph to set up points that pushed her to the brink of the title.

Jang saved three championship points to extend the match, but her lunging return of Zhang’s final serve into the corner landed out of the court.

“I really wanted that to be the last game,” Zhang said. “I didn’t want one more game.”

After the match, both players vowed to return next year, the second of the tournament’s three-year sponsorship contract with the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

“This is an amazing tournament and very beautiful state. Many, many years, my dream was coming to Hawaii,” Zhang said following the season-ending victory.

“After the tournament I can get some holiday here so that’s very nice.”