2010 Japan Open, Kimiko Date Krumm to meet Tamarine Tanasugarn in final
The forty-year old, Kimiko Date Krumm, from Japan breezed into the title battle of the 2010 Japan Open Women’s singles competition with a three setter win over Shahar Peer on Saturday. The final match score was 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 7-5.
Kimiko, who announced her retirement from the professional game of tennis back in 1996, and then came back on the tour two years ago, made history on Friday. She registered her name as the first contender in her forty’s on the WTA tour to beat a top ten
opponent, after thrashing out her Australian foe, Samantha Stosur, who was seeded number one to win the title in Osaka. The score line was 5-7 6-3 7-6 (7-4).
After making a return on the tour, the Tokyo resident has so far captured a couple of ITF trophies before lifting her eighth WTA Tour crown at the Hansol Korea Open last year in Seoul. Kimiko, as a result of this victory also registered her name as the second
oldest contender from the women’s side after Billie Jean King, to bag a singles trophy on the tour.
The forty year old Kimiko is a four time winner of the Japan Open crown. She is coming off her second round appearance in Beijing where the Japanese got the better of Anabel Medina Garrigues in the first round just to fall down at the hands of Elena Dementieva
in the second match at the China Open. The final match score was 6-3 1-6 6-3.
In Osaka, the world number fifty-six started her tournament’s campaign with a straight set win over Laura Robson in her opening round clash in two sets. The final match score was 6–3, 6–3. She next surpassed Aiko Nakamura, Samantha Stosur and now Shahar
Peer to confirm her final berth at the Japan Open.
Kimiko will take on Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand in the final of the 2010 Japan Open on Sunday.
The thirty year old Tamarine dispatched her second seed foe, Marion Bartoli in two sets to reach the finals in Osaka. The final match score was 6-2 7-5.
The oldest female contender to grab a WTA singles crown was all-time great Billie Jean King back in 1983.
Tamarine, who is currently ranked number ninety-four in the World by the Women Tennis Association, will be looking for her fourth trophy of her career.
Tags: