Third seed Naomi Osaka has won her ninth consecutive match on the WTA Tour after defeating Barbora Strycova 6-3, 6-4, in the quarter-finals of the Pan Pacific Open.
The US Open champion is seeking her third title of the year and her first ever on Japanese soil. Against former top 20 player Strycova, Osaka displayed glimmers of brilliance as well as fragility in her play. Illustrated by her 26 winners and 26 unforced errors. Nevertheless, the Japanese No.1 managed to weather the storm to seal the win in straight sets.
“I’ve played against her three times now. Each time it has been very hard. So I know she is a very good player.” Osaka said afterwards.
In both sets the match was very much a case of Osaka waiting to capitalize on some tentative serving from her opponent. During the first set, the world No.7 raced to a 4-1 lead before the Czech broke back to close the gap to 4-3. Despite Strycova’s mini resurgence, a lacklustre service game, which concluded with a double fault, handed Osaka another break as she went on to secure the 6-3 lead. Doing so with the help of a forehand from her opponent drifting out on set point.
During the second frame it was another error-stricken Strycova service game which had another three double faults that cost her dearly. Enabling a determined Osaka to battle towards the finish line. Sealing the match with a serve down the line that was returned into the net by Strycova.
Osaka now leads Strycova 2-1 in their head-to-head. Coincidentally, their first meeting was at the same tournament back in 2015 when the 20-year-old lost 7-5, 6-2.
“I think there’s a lot of things I have improved over these last few years.” Osaka reflected. “Of course I remembered the first match I played against her here (In Tokyo). It was one of my first WTA main draw matches.”
Bidding to become the first Japanese player to win the tournament since 1995, Osaka will play Camila Giorgi in the semi-finals. The Italian progressed to the next round after Victoria Azarenka retired injured during their clash.
Vekic continues dream debut
Donna Vekic has scored her second win over a top 10 player this week after stunning France’s Caroline Garcia 6-3, 6-4. The world No.45 hit 19 winners to 17 unforced errors as she broke Garcia five times during the match.
“I’m very happy that I won today,” Vekic commented during her on-court interview. “Last time we played, I lost 7-6 in the third and that was a painful loss…so to win in two sets against her really means something to me.”
Prior to this week, Vekic hadn’t won a match in Asia for two years. It is the first time in her career that she has managed to score multiple wins over top 10 players within the same tournament. The Croat is playing in the Pan Pacific Open for the first time in her career.
Gunning for another high-profile win, Vekic will take on Karolina Pliskova in the last four. Pliskova, who is seeded fourth in the draw, outlasted Alison Riske 6-1, 6-7(5), 7-6(4). Battling back from a break down twice throughout the deciding set and fending off two match points.
“It was a very important win for me. I think she was a little bit better, but I just managed to fight somehow and get the victory,” Pliskova said. “It was very close… and I’m just happy that I’m the winner.”
It will be the first meeting between the two players since the 2014 Monterrey Open in Mexico. On that occasion, Pliskova prevailed in three sets.
