Taiwan’s Chan Yung-jan beat Tomoko Yonemura 6-1, 6-4 to reach the last eight at the OEC Taipei Ladies Open yesterday. Next up for the 20-year-old world No. 115 is experienced Thai campaigner Tamarine Tanasugarn, who proved too good for Georgia’s Oksana Kalashnikova, beating the 19-year-old 6-2, 6-3.
On yesterday’s evidence Chan will be hard-pressed to beat the Thai unless she can bring more consistency to her game. Her victory over Yonemura had a lot to do with the number of errors the Japanese made in a match in which Chan’s serve veered from impressive to awful.
The first game of the match contained a bit of both, with two double-faults and then a good serve to save a break-point. It was Chan who achieved the first break in the next game when Yonemura put a cross-court forehand wide.
PHOTO: CHIEN JUNG-FONG, TAIPEI TIMES
Chan’s erratic serving was highlighted again in the next game when an ace was followed by a double-fault and then another ace to claim the game.
Yonemura again failed to hold her serve in the sixth game, leaving Chan to serve for the set.
The Taiwanese threw in another double-fault and then found herself break-point down, but Yonemura couldn’t convert it. A forehand into the net by the world No. 200 handed Chan the set.
Despite an immediate break of serve by Chan, the second set was a more hard-fought affair.
Two more double-faults by the Taiwanese proved costly in the fourth game as Yonemura broke back and she then had two more break-points in the sixth game that she failed to convert, sending a backhand into the net and a forehand wide.
The next game went to three deuces and, although Yonemura held on, in the ninth game Chan pounced on a short serve on the last of three break-points pressurizing the Japanese to hit a forehand into the net.
Chan showed no nerves when serving for the match, ending the contest in style with an ace.
Earlier, Tanasugarn looked good in her victory over Kalashnikova, hitting some impressive shots.
The Thai always looked in control against her tall, left-handed opponent, who didn’t play badly, but just couldn’t match Tanasugarn’s consistency.
Although ranked 113 in the world at present, the Thai reached No. 19 in the world in 2002 and has three career WTA singles titles — including one this year — and 11 ITF titles to her credit.
Yesterday’s other singles results:
• Chang Kai-chen (Taiwan) defeated Andrea Hlavackova (Czech) 6-3, 6-1
• Regina Kulikova (Russia) defeated Alexandra Panova (Russia) 7-5, 6-4
Yesterday’s doubles results:
• Chan Yung-jan and Chuang Chia-jung (Taiwan) defeated Sophie Ferguson (Australia) and Hsu Wen-hsin (Taiwan) 7-5, 6-2
• Oksana Kalashnikova (Georgia) and Alexandra Panova (Russia) defeated Andrea Hlavackova (Czech) and Andreja Klepac (Slovenia) 3-6, 6-3 [10-8]
■BALI
AFP, DENPASAR, INDONESIA
France’s Aravane Rezai recovered from 2-5 down in the second set to book the first of the semi-final places at the Bali Tournament of Champions yesterday with a 6-3, 7-5 defeat of Hungary’s Melinda Czink.
The 89-minute victory gives Rezai a perfect 2-0 record in her group after an opening-day win over Sabine Lisicki of Germany.
Israeli Shahar Peer made her debut with a 6-1, 7-6 (7/4) victory over Magdalena Rybarikova to knock the Slovak out of weekend contention.
In the later match, Spaniard Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez beat Agnes Szavay of Hungary 4-6, 6-4, 6-0.
BUMRAH WATCH: Captain Jasprit Bumrah left the SCG for scans for back spasms and although he returned to the ground, there was no word on if he would play Rishabh Pant’s blistering counterattack yesterday capped a chaotic second day of the fifth and final Test between Australia and India, with 15 wickets falling and the star bowler of the series leaving the Sydney Cricket Ground with an ambulance escort. Yet the Border-Gavaskar trophy still remains very much in the balance as India reached 141-6, holding a 145-run lead over Australia with three days remaining. “Low-scoring games like this, it just heightens the pressure within it, so long way still to go,” Australia coach Andrew McDonald said. “There’s gonna be plenty of cricket, so we’ll see what happens.” Australia were bowled out for
Elena Rybakina’s Kazakhstan yesterday dumped defending champions Germany out of the United Cup with world No. 2 Alexander Zverev sidelined by an arm injury barely a week away from the Australian Open. The upset in Perth sent the Kazakhs into the semi-finals of the 18-nation tournament. In Sydney, women’s world No. 2 Iga Swiatek led Poland into the last eight by winning a rematch of her 2023 French Open final against Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic. Britain also progressed to the quarter-finals with Katie Boulter’s dominant 6-2, 6-1 victory over Australia’s Olivia Gadecki enough to guarantee they won their group. The US and
HAT-TRICK PREP: World No. 1 Sabalenka clinched her first win of the season, as she aims to become the first woman in 20 years to win three Australian Opens in succession Coco Gauff, Jasmine Paolini and Taylor Fritz yesterday all clocked impressive wins as tennis powerhouses Italy and the US surged into the quarter-finals of the mixed-team United Cup. World No. 3 Gauff swept past Croatia’s Donna Vekic 6-4, 6-2 to avenge a loss at the Paris Olympics, while Fritz took care of Borna Coric 6-3, 6-2 in searing Perth heat. That was enough to put the Americans — last year’s winners — into a last-eight clash with China today, while Elena Rybakina’s Kazakhstan today are to meet defending champions Germany, led by Alexander Zverev, in the other Perth quarter-final. In Sydney, the in-form
Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek yesterday beat Elena Rybakina in straight sets to take Poland into the final of the mixed-teams United Cup with victory over Kazakhstan. Last year’s runners-up face the US today for the title in Sydney after they beat the Czech Republic in the other semi-final. “This win makes me really proud,” Swiatek said after seeing off Rybakina 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 to give Poland an unassailable 2-0 lead in the tie. It was a statement of intent from the world number two with the first major of the year to start on Jan. 12. “It is perfect preparation for the
RSS