Maria Sharapova defeated Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand 6-2, 7-5 in the second round of the rain-hit Pan Pacific Open yesterday.
After taking the first set in 30 minutes behind a blistering forehand, the second-seeded Russian quickly went up 3-0 in the second set before faltering.
Tanasugarn suddenly came to life, breaking Sharapova in the fourth game and winning five of the next seven games to make it 5-5.
Photo: AFP
However, Sharapova dug deep in the 11th game, breaking again and then closing out the match with an ace to finish the contest in 1 hour, 31 minutes at a covered Ariake Colosseum.
“I served really well today,” Sharapova said. “It was important for me to serve well because she reads the ball really well. I had a bit of letdown in the second set. She started playing really well. I was glad I was able to come back and win it in two sets.”
Playing in her first tournament in Japan since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, Sharapova said she and her fellow competitors were happy to support the event.
Photo: Reuters
“The commitment the players have shown is incredible,” she said. “With nearly a full draw, I think the players have shown their dedication [to this event].”
The annual WTA Tour tournament is normally an outdoor event, but rain in the late morning forced the closure of the roof over the main court and suspension of play on the outdoor courts.
Earlier, seventh-seeded Marion Bartoli of France defeated Ayumi Morita of Japan 6-3, 0-6, 6-3 and eighth-seeded Jelena Jankovic of Serbia beat Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-2.
Bartoli prevailed in a baseline battle despite a second-set whitewash. She overpowered Morita with a strong backhand in a final set that saw breaks of serve in the first three games.
Morita committed several unforced errors in the third set, ultimately leading to her defeat. Serving to stay in the match, Morita staved off four match points, before finally succumbing.
Qualifier Mandy Minella of Luxembourg rallied to beat Japanese veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 and 12th-seeded Ana Ivanovic of Serbia defeated qualifier Anastasia Rodionova of Australia 6-4, 6-0.
Defending champion Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, the top-seeded player in the US$2 million tournament, has a first-round bye and she is scheduled to meet Jarmila Gajdosova of Australia, who defeated Rebecca Marino of Canada 1-6, 6-2, 7/5, in the second round today.
US Open champion Samantha Stosur of Australia also has a first-round bye. She is scheduled to take on Maria Kirilenko of Russia, who trounced Japan’s Erika Sema 6-1, 6-0.
Vania King of the US breezed past China’s Zhang Shuai 6-1, 6-0, while Julia Goerges of Germany defeated Pauline Parmentier of France 6-3, 6-4.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB