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Down To Kerber & Kvitova In Tokyo
Published September 27, 2013 12:04
TOKYO, Japan - Angelique Kerber and Petra Kvitova edged a pair of resurgent former No.1s on Friday to reach the final of the milestone 30th edition of the Premier-level Toray Pan Pacific Open.
Watch match highlights, post-match interviews and much more from Tokyo by clicking here!
The No.7-seeded Kvitova was the first to advance, ending the re-breakthrough run of Venus Williams in a nail-biter, 36 63 76(2). The two put on a serving display, each holding 13 of 15 service games in the match, but at the end of the day it came down to a third set tie-break, where Kvitova dominated.
"The whole match was very close - it was only about a few points in the end," Kvitova said afterwards. "I had a good start to the tie-break and I think every point in that tie-break was really important.
"Venus was a very tough opponent today. I knew she was playing very well here, and for her it's great to have this many matches. She missed some tournaments this year and it's important to stay healthy and play a lot. If she keeps this up she can be one of the players who can win Grand Slams."
Williams had revived her season - and career, really - with some vintage form during the week, taking out two of the hottest players of the year en route to the semis, namely No.2 seed Victoria Azarenka and No.13 seed Simona Halep. And while this run is over, it could be the start of something big.
"Coming into tournaments you never know how it's going to turn out, but I played a lot of great matches here," Williams said. "Today didn't turn out the way I wanted it to, but she played very well today, and a lot of it came down to match play too - she was hitting a lot of unreturnable shots in the tie-break.
"As I get into these positions more I'll start to convert - just a few painful misses today."
The No.5-seeded Kerber followed Kvitova into the final with a 64 76(5) win over No.4-seeded Caroline Wozniacki, holding off a late surge in the first set - she watched a 5-1 lead become 5-4 before closing it out - and battling back from 4-2 down in the second set to prevail in straight sets. She held off another late surge in the second set tie-break, watching 6-2 become 6-5 before finally closing the match out.
"The match was very close, and it's always tough to play a very close friend, but I've been playing very well this whole week and I'm really happy to be in the finals here for the first time," Kerber said after the match. "I have good memories of the semifinals here last year and I'm excited for tomorrow now."
"I'll take a lot of positives with me from this week," Wozniacki said. "I was fighting out there as hard as I could, not just today but throughout the whole week, and I just came up a little bit short today. But I have a lot of things to work on for next week in Beijing now - we have another big week ahead."
It will be the first all-lefty WTA final since Québec City in 2009 (Melinda Czink beat Lucie Safarova) and the first all-lefty Premier final since Paris [Indoors] in 1994 (Martina Navratilova beat Monica Seles).
Kerber leads Kvitova in their head-to-head series, 2-1.
"It can be difficult to play lefties, but Petra and I have played so much against each other that I don't think it will make a difference," Kerber said. "She's played well this whole week and I just have to focus on my game and focus from point to point, and stay aggressive. We'll see how it goes tomorrow."
Watch match highlights, post-match interviews and much more from Tokyo by clicking here!
The No.7-seeded Kvitova was the first to advance, ending the re-breakthrough run of Venus Williams in a nail-biter, 36 63 76(2). The two put on a serving display, each holding 13 of 15 service games in the match, but at the end of the day it came down to a third set tie-break, where Kvitova dominated.
"The whole match was very close - it was only about a few points in the end," Kvitova said afterwards. "I had a good start to the tie-break and I think every point in that tie-break was really important.
"Venus was a very tough opponent today. I knew she was playing very well here, and for her it's great to have this many matches. She missed some tournaments this year and it's important to stay healthy and play a lot. If she keeps this up she can be one of the players who can win Grand Slams."
Williams had revived her season - and career, really - with some vintage form during the week, taking out two of the hottest players of the year en route to the semis, namely No.2 seed Victoria Azarenka and No.13 seed Simona Halep. And while this run is over, it could be the start of something big.
"Coming into tournaments you never know how it's going to turn out, but I played a lot of great matches here," Williams said. "Today didn't turn out the way I wanted it to, but she played very well today, and a lot of it came down to match play too - she was hitting a lot of unreturnable shots in the tie-break.
"As I get into these positions more I'll start to convert - just a few painful misses today."
The No.5-seeded Kerber followed Kvitova into the final with a 64 76(5) win over No.4-seeded Caroline Wozniacki, holding off a late surge in the first set - she watched a 5-1 lead become 5-4 before closing it out - and battling back from 4-2 down in the second set to prevail in straight sets. She held off another late surge in the second set tie-break, watching 6-2 become 6-5 before finally closing the match out.
"The match was very close, and it's always tough to play a very close friend, but I've been playing very well this whole week and I'm really happy to be in the finals here for the first time," Kerber said after the match. "I have good memories of the semifinals here last year and I'm excited for tomorrow now."
"I'll take a lot of positives with me from this week," Wozniacki said. "I was fighting out there as hard as I could, not just today but throughout the whole week, and I just came up a little bit short today. But I have a lot of things to work on for next week in Beijing now - we have another big week ahead."
It will be the first all-lefty WTA final since Québec City in 2009 (Melinda Czink beat Lucie Safarova) and the first all-lefty Premier final since Paris [Indoors] in 1994 (Martina Navratilova beat Monica Seles).
Kerber leads Kvitova in their head-to-head series, 2-1.
"It can be difficult to play lefties, but Petra and I have played so much against each other that I don't think it will make a difference," Kerber said. "She's played well this whole week and I just have to focus on my game and focus from point to point, and stay aggressive. We'll see how it goes tomorrow."
Tournament Info Tier: Premier Prize Money: $2,369,000 Surface: Hard Director: Toshio Noji Part of the Asian swing of the WTA calendar, the Toray Pan Pacific Open debuted in 1984 on indoor carpet at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. The event was upgraded to Premier status in 1993 and the surface changed to outdoor hardcourts in 2008, when the tournament moved to its present-day venue of the Ariake Tennis Forest Park - which features the 10,000-seat Ariake Coliseum.
Read more Previous Winners Year Draws Singles Doubles 2012 Nadia Petrova Raquel Kops-Jones / Abigail Spears 2011 Agnieszka Radwanska Liezel Huber / Lisa Raymond 2010 Caroline Wozniacki Iveta Benesova / Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 2009 Maria Sharapova Francesca Schiavone / Alisa Kleybanova 2008 Dinara Safina Nadia Petrova / Vania King Previous Winners News Down To Kerber & Kvitova In Tokyo September 27, 2013 Angelique Kerber and Petra Kvitova edged a pair of former No.1s to reach the final. When was the last all-left... All news 1 $('.toTop:not(.page)').bind('click', function() { $('html, body').scrollTop($('.tabs').position().top); return false; }); Photos Tokyo Gallery: The Player Party September 25, 2013 The stars of the WTA stepped out for the Toray Pan Pacific Open player party, even making new friends along th... All photos 1 $('.toTop:not(.page)').bind('click', function() { $('html, body').scrollTop($('.tabs').position().top); return false; }); Videos Tokyo: Friday Highlights September 27, 2013 Highlights from semifinal action at the Toray Pan Pacific Open. All videos - See more at: http://www.wtatennis.com/tournaments/tournamentId/536/title/toray-pan-pacific-open#sthash.ppSoNI1F.dpuf
Toray Pan Pacific Open
Singles · Doubles
BOUCHARD BEATS JANKOVIC TO REACH TOKYO QUARTERS
19-year-old Canadian earns her second Top 10 win and will face Venus Williams in the final eight
Montreal, September 25, 2013 – Eugenie Bouchard (Westmount, QC) notched her second career Top 10 win on Wednesday to advance to her fourth quarter-final of the season at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, Japan.
A day after taking out fellow rising star, world no.13 Sloane Stephens of the United States in three sets, Bouchard was dominant en route to a 7-5, 6-2 victory over no. 10 ranked Serbian Jelena Jankovic to reach the final eight.
The opening set was played evenly until Bouchard broke serve in the eleventh game and followed up with a comfortable service hold to take the early lead. The 19-year-old broke Jankovic’s serve early and often in the second set thanks to her trademark aggressive play to secure a straight sets victory in just over an hour against the former World No. 1.
The last time Bouchard and Jankovic played, in the quarter-finals on the clay at Charleston this spring, the Canadian won just three games after earning her first Top 10 win the round before against Aussie Samantha Stosur. Bouchard has now defeated both Serbian former World no. 1s. She also got the better of Ana Ivanovic in straight sets on Centre Court at Wimbledon this year.
Bouchard is the first Canadian to reach the quarter-finals of a WTA Premier 5 event since Aleksandra Wozniak in 2012 at the Rogers Cup presented by National Bank in Montreal. Her run in Tokyo will allow her to join the Top 40 on the WTA world rankings for the first time in her career.
Bouchard will face another former World No. 1 in the quarter-finals on Thursday when she goes up against seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams of the United States in the first meeting between the two players.
Pospisil falls in Kuala Lumpur
Playing his first tournament since injuring his ankle in the Davis Cup semifinals against Serbia, Vasek Pospisil (Vancouver, BC) was eliminated in the second round of the Malaysian Open on Wednesday, an ATP World Tour 250 event. He was defeated in two tiebreak sets 7-6(2), 7-6(1) by Argentine Federico Delbonis. Pospisil was quarter-finalist last year in Kuala Lumpur.
At the Thailand Open in Bangkok, another ATP 250 event, third-seeded Milos Raonic (Thornhill, ON) will play his opening match on Thursday against Marinko Matosevic of Australia after receiving a first round bye.
About Tennis Canada
Founded in 1890, Tennis Canada is a non-profit, national sport association with a mission to lead the growth of tennis in Canada and a vision to become a world-leading tennis nation. We value teamwork, passion, integrity, innovation and excellence. Tennis Canada owns and operates the premier Rogers Cup presented by National Bank WTA and ATP World Tour events, eight professional ITF sanctioned events and financially supports 11 other professional tournaments in Canada. Tennis Canada operates junior national training centres/programs in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Tennis Canada is a proud member of the International Tennis Federation, the Canadian Olympic Committee, the Canadian Paralympic Committee and the International Wheelchair Tennis Association, and serves to administer, sponsor and select the teams for Davis Cup, Fed Cup, the Olympic and Paralympic Games and all wheelchair, junior and senior national teams. Tennis Canada invests its surplus into tennis development. For more information on Tennis Canada please visit our Web site at: www.tenniscanada.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
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Media Contacts:
Montreal
Louis-Philippe Dorais Valérie Tétreault
Director, Communications and Marketing Communications Coordinator
514-273-1515 ext. 6232 514-273-1515 ext. 6259
lpdorais@tenniscanada.com vtetreault@tenniscanada.com
Toronto
Sarah Grossman Nicole Watts
Manager, Communications and Media Relations Communications Coordinator
416-650-7922 416-665-9777 ext. 4092
sgrossman@tenniscanada.com nwatts@tenniscanada.com
POUR DIFFUSION IMMÉDIATE
BOUCHARD A RAISON DE JANKOVIC POUR ATTEINDRE LES QUARTS DE FINALE À TOKYO
Deuxième victoire aux dépens d’une Top 10; elle affrontera maintenant Venus Willilams
Montréal, le 25 septembre 2013 – Eugenie Bouchard (Westmount, QC) a signé le deuxième gain de sa carrière aux dépens d’une joueuse du Top 10, mercredi, pour accéder à son quatrième quart de finale de la saison dans le cadre de l’Open Toray Pan Pacific, à Tokyo, au Japon.
Au lendemain de son triomphe en trois manches face à l’Américaine Sloane Stephens, 13e meilleure raquette du circuit, Bouchard a été solide dans une victoire de 7-5 et 6-2 contre la Serbe Jelena Jankovic, 10e mondiale, pour atteindre les quarts de finale.
La première manche a été serrée, mais Bouchard a réussi à ravir le service de sa rivale et à conserver le sien pour prendre les devants. Grâce à du jeu agressif, la jeune Canadienne de 19 ans a brisé Jankovic tôt et souvent en deuxième pour sceller l’issue de la rencontre en un peu plus d’une heure face à l’ex-numéro un mondiale.
Lors de leur dernier affrontement, en quart de finale du tournoi sur terre battue de Charleston au printemps, Bouchard n’avait remporté que trois jeux après avoir signé sa première victoire aux dépens d’une joueuse du Top 10, l’Australienne Samantha Stosur. Bouchard compte maintenant un gain face aux deux anciennes numéros un mondiales serbes, car elle a aussi eu raison d’Ana Ivanovic sur le Court central de Wimbledon cet été.
Bouchard est la première Canadienne à atteindre les quarts de finale d’un tournoi Premier 5 de la WTA depuis qu’Aleksandra Wozniak avait réussi l’exploit lors de l’édition 2012 de la Coupe Rogers présentée par Banque Nationale à Montréal. Son parcours à Tokyo lui permettra de se hisser au Top 40 de la WTA pour la première fois de sa carrière.
Jeudi, Bouchard croisera le fer avec une autre ancienne numéro un lorsqu’elle se mesurera à l’Américaine Venus Williams, détentrice de sept titres du Grand Chelem. Ce sera le premier duel entre les deux joueuses.
Pospisil tombe à Kuala Lumpur
Vasek Pospisil (Vancouver), qui dispute son premier tournoi depuis sa blessure à la cheville survenue en demi-finale de la Coupe Davis contre la Serbie, a été éliminé au deuxième tour de l’Open de la Malaisie, mercredi. En effet, il est tombé 7-6(2) et 7-6(1) aux mains de l’Argentin Federico Delbonis. L’an dernier, Pospisil était quart de finaliste à Kuala Lumpur.
Troisième tête de série de l’Open de la Thaïlande, à Bangkok, Milos Raonic (Thornhill, ON) disputera son premier match jeudi contre l’Australien Marinko Matosevic.
À propos de Tennis Canada
Tennis Canada, dont les origines remontent à 1890, est une organisation sportive nationale sans but lucratif responsable du développement, de la promotion et de la mise en valeur du tennis au pays. Tennis Canada possède et administre deux des plus prestigieux tournois de l’ATP et du WTA Tour; les volets masculin et féminin de la Coupe Rogers présentée par Banque Nationale, dont la présentation alterne chaque année entre le Centre Rexall, à Toronto, et le Stade Uniprix, à Montréal. De plus, Tennis Canada possède et administre huit tournois professionnels sanctionnés par l’ITF et soutient financièrement onze autres tournois professionnels au Canada. Tennis Canada administre des centres nationaux d’entraînement au Centre de l’excellence, à Toronto, et au Stade Uniprix, à Montréal, et au North Shore Winter Club, à Vancouver. Tennis Canada est membre de la Fédération internationale de tennis, du Comité olympique canadien, du Comité paralympique canadien et de l’Association internationale de tennis en fauteuil roulant. De plus, Tennis Canada administre, commandite et choisit des équipes pour la Coupe Davis, la Fed Cup, les Jeux olympiques et paralympiques et forme des équipes nationales pour les juniors, les vétérans et les joueurs de tennis en fauteuil roulant. Tennis Canada investit ses excédents budgétaires dans le développement du tennis. Pour obtenir plus amples renseignements sur Tennis Canada, visitez notre site Web sur www.tenniscanada.com et suivez-nous sur Facebook et Twitter.
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Renseignements :
Montréal
Louis-Philippe Dorais Valérie Tétreault
Directeur, communications et marketing Coordonnatrice, communications
514-273-1515 poste 6232 514-273-1515 poste 6259
lpdorais@tenniscanada.com vtetreault@tenniscanada.com
Toronto
Sarah Grossman Nicole Watts
Gestionnaire, communications et relations médias Coordonnatrice, Communications
416-650-7922 416-665-9777 poste 4092
sgrossman@tenniscanada.com nwatts@tenniscanada.com
Toray Pan Pacific Open
Singles · Doubles
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