The Chan sisters yesterday claimed their fourth doubles title of the season at the Pan Pacific Open after they edged a tight all-Taiwanese showdown at the rain-affected tournament in Osaka, Japan.
Second seeds Chan Hao-ching and Latisha Chan added to their titles in Hobart, Australia; Doha; and Eastbourne, England, earlier this year after battling to a 7-5, 7-5 victory over fellow Taiwanese sisters Hsieh Su-wei and Hsieh Yu-chieh in 1 hour, 35 minutes.
In a Taiwanese family affair, the Taipei natives saved nine of 13 break points and converted six of 12, winning 72 of the 140 points contested to deny the Kaohsiung-born Hsieh sisters their first career title as a pairing.
It was the Chan sisters’ 14th career WTA Tour doubles title.
Earlier, in the semi-finals held over from Friday due to rain, the Chans edged a topsy-turvy battle against Japanese duo Misaki Doi and Nao Hibino 6-1, 6-2, 10-7 in 1 hour, 11 minutes.
The Hsieh sisters also needed a super tiebreak to oust Nadiia Kichenok of Ukraine and Abigail Spears of the US 7-6 (7/4), 1-6, 10-5 in 1 hour, 40 minutes.
The Chan sisters next travel to the Wuhan Open in China, where the sixth seeds are due to play Alison Riske of the US and Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia in the first round.
Hsieh Su-wei is also heading to Wuhan, where she is to team up with regular partner Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic in the doubles.
The top seeds have a bye into the second round.
In the singles, Hsieh Su-wei faces a tough opener against Danish 13th seed and former World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki.
In the semi-finals of the singles in Osaka, unseeded Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova upset German fourth seed Angelique Kerber 6-3, 6-3 in 1 hour, 19 minutes to advance to her first final of the season and her second at the Pan Pacific Open after she lost to Wozniacki in 2017.
“After the first match [this week] I started to play better and better,” the Russian told the WTA Web site. “Going deeper in the tournament, I just feel more comfortable and better with my game. I enjoyed myself out there, fighting and trying to do my best.”
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