Fifth-seeded Dominika Cibulkova is targeting a strong finish to the season after dispatching Carla Suarez Navarro 6-3, 6-3 yesterday to book a second-round berth in the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.
Cibulkova has momentum after posting her best result of the season last month when reaching the final of the Connecticut Open.
She carried that to Tokyo, racing 5-1 ahead. Suarez Navarro broke in a seventh game that contained four deuces and briefly threatened to fight her way back.
Cibulkova, last year’s WTA Finals champion, broke in the third game of the second set, and again to love in the final game.
It has rarely gone so well for Cibulkova this year. The weight of expectation following last year’s four titles proved too much.
“Since the trip to the US, even though I lost in the third round in Cincinnati to Jo Konta, I started to feel I was coming back,” she said. “Then in New Haven, even though I lost the final, I was really close to winning. Right now, I feel the best on court that I have all year.”
Cibulkova next plays Katerina Siniakova. The Czech defeated qualifier Jana Cepelova 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Polish qualifier Magda Linette surprised Cibulkova’s Connecticut conqueror, Daria Gavrilova, 2-6, 6-0, 7-6 (7/3). Second-seeded Karolina Pliskova lies in wait today.
Caroline Garcia — seeded following the withdrawal of virus-hit Agnieszka Radwanska — beat lucky loser Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-4, 6-3. Garcia is next to meet home-crowd favorite Kurumi Nara, who was handed a wild-card entry.
Shelby Rogers of the US is to face defending champion Caroline Wozniacki, after defeating wild card Risa Ozaki 6-2, 7-6 (7/5).
Last year’s surprise Rio Olympic gold medalist Monica Puig also advanced, but had to work to beat Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei 2-6, 6-1, 6-1. The Puerto Rican is next to face top seed Garbine Muguruza in the last 16.
Additional reporting by AFP
KOREA OPEN
AFP, SEOUL
South Korean wild card Han Na-lae yesterday overpowered third-seeded Kristyna Pliskova 6-4, 6-4 in a tournament upset that earned her a place in the second round of the Korea Open.
The 25-year-old South Korean held her ground against fearsome server Pliskova, whose identical twin sister Karolina is a former world No. 1.
Han led by a set and break before Pliskova briefly leveled the second set. However, the South Korean, who is ranked No. 274 in the world and tends to play a stronger game in front of a home crowd, fought back to clinch the match.
Pliskova, ranked No. 42, served seven aces against Han, but struggled to land first serves as she looks to regain momentum after injuring her dominant hand at the Jiangxi Open in Nanchang, China.
Han is now lined up to face Spaniard Sara Sorribes Tormo.
Meanwhile, top-seeded Jelena Ostapenko beat Sweden’s Johanna Larsson, 7-6, 6-1 for her place in the second round. Meanwhile, the US’ Nicole Gibbs beat South Korea’s Jang Su-jeong, 6-3, 7-5.
Taiwan’s Chang Kai-chen fell 2-6, 4-6 to Japan’s Nao Hibino.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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