Defending champion Caroline Wozniacki yesterday romped to a 6-0, 7-5 victory over Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to win her third WTA Pan Pacific Open.
The Danish former world No. 1 needed only 75 minutes to complete the rout under the Tokyo sunshine, capturing her first title of the year after losing in six finals.
Third seed Wozniacki stormed through the first set in just 22 minutes, blazing winners past a stunned Pavlyuchenkova.
Photo: EPA
The Russian saved a match point in the 10th game of the second set before Wozniacki converted on her third opportunity, the world No. 6 fizzing a backhand pass down the line to claim her 26th career title.
“It was my seventh final this year and obviously after a while it gets harder and harder,” Wozniacki said after winning her first tournament since Hong Kong in October last year.
“Obviously I’ve won here in the past and it has great memories for me so I’m happy I was able to stay focused and aggressive,” she added. “Everything was going my way in the first set. The second set was tricky, but I managed to stay positive and it feels great to win the title again. It was awesome.”
Wozniacki, also Tokyo winner in 2010 and runner-up in 2014, joined former greats Steffi Graf and Gabriela Sabatini with three Pan Pacific Open crowns.
Martina Hingis holds the record with five.
Wozniacki, who destroyed world No. 1 Garbine Muguruza 6-2, 6-0 in the semi-finals, never gave Pavlyuchenkova a chance in their first meeting since 2012.
There were early warning signs for the Russian after Wozniacki pulled off an outrageous backhand from way outside the court that flashed past the net post and nibbled the line to give her a 3-0 lead in the first set.
As she slumped dejectedly in her chair, Pavlyuchenkova squabbled with coach Simon Goffin.
Despite being told not to by her coach, the world No. 23 continued to sulk as Wozniacki produced an exquisite drop volley to take the next game and a crunching backhand to claim the set.
Pavlyuchenkova managed to get on the scoreboard in the second set and cracked a sheepish grin after winning her first game.
However, she never looked like adding to the titles she won in Monterrey and Rabat.
“The first three games were the key,” said Pavlyuchenkova, who beat former world No. 1 Angelique Kerber in the semi-finals.
“I just felt a bit unlucky, it was strange. That’s why I was a little down on myself,” added the Russian. “I tried to go for it, but I felt a little flat and didn’t have enough energy and Caroline was playing amazing tennis.”
KOREA OPEN
AFP, SEOUL
Top seed Jelena Ostapenko yesterday clinched victory at the Korea Open, defeating Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia in a closely contested three-set final.
The 20-year-old French Open champion from Latvia rallied from a set down to beat the debutante finalist 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-4, in a match that lasted two hours and 15 minutes.
“I’m really happy to win my second title here and in my career,” Ostapenko said after the match. “I enjoyed playing here and to also see so many Latvian flags is amazing.”
Yesterday’s win was Ostapenko’s first hard court title since her upset victory over third-seed Simona Halep at the French Open in June.
Despite her defeat, Haddad Maia said competing in her first Women’s Tennis Association finals had been a good experience.
“This match today was really tight. Both of us were playing very well,” she said.
Ostapenko, the first Latvian to win a Grand Slam tournament, was a huge crowd favorite in Seoul throughout the week-long tournament.
The final match drew around 9,000 spectators, Yonhap news agency said, the tournament’s first sellout since it began in 2004.
WUHAN OPEN
AP, WUHAN, China
Katerina Siniakova beat a top-20 player for the sixth time this year when she ousted Kristina Mladenovic of France 6-3, 6-2 in the first round of the Wuhan Open yesterday.
The Czech, who has two singles titles already this year, deepened the hole occupied by Mladenovic, who lost an eighth consecutive match, all to players ranked outside the WTA top 25.
Ekaterina Makarova of Russia won nine games in a row from 4-1 down en route to beating Anastasija Sevastova 6-4, 6-2.
Also, Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine defeated Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain 6-3, 7-6 (10) to line up world No. 1 Garbine Muguruza in the next round.
Muguruza, second-seeded Simona Halep and the other top six seeds received byes into the second round.
Sloane Stephens will take on Wang Qiang of China in the first round in her first competitive match since winning the US Open.
Stephens, seeded 14th in Wuhan, arrived on Friday and is expected to play her opening match today.
Madison Keys, who lost to Stephens in the all-American final in New York, is to face qualifier Varvara Lepchenko in her opener.
Other winners included Ashleigh Barty of Australia, and Monica Puig of Puerto Rico.
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