2010 Japan Open, Tamarine Tanasugarn lifts crown in Osaka
The thirty three year old Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand defeated Kimiko Date Krumm in the title battle of the 2010 Japan Open Women’s Singles Competition in a three setter clash on Sunday. The final match score was 5-7, 7-6 (7-4), 1-6. The title came as
her fourth one in her career.
Date Krumm of Japan made her way into the final of the Japan Open after getting the better of top seed Samantha Stosur as well as third seed Shahar Peer in the quarters and semis respectively. She fought hard for almost three hours to beat both of them in
Osaka.
Her victory over the World number eight Stosur registered her name as the first forty year old player on the WTA tour to ever surpass a top ten player.
Kimiko after overpowering Stosur earlier in the quarter final round in Osaka said, "She is a strong opponent and made the finals of French Open earlier in 2010, so I am glad. Everyone thought it was impossible, however impossible is nothing. Tennis is not
just pace and power, you play mentally. I used everything and played with nothing to lose".
However, the sixth seeded Japanese player failed to record her name as the first forty year old player to capture a title on Sunday.
The unseeded Tamarine, on the other hand made her way into the finals of the Japan Open after thrashing out second seed Marion Bartoli in the semi final clash on Saturday. The final match score was 6-2, 7-5.
The right hander Tanasugarn, who turned professional back in 1994, came to play in Osaka after her opening round departure at the grass court Grand Slam tournament in London. She did not participate at the year’s final major, the United States Open in New
York.
Both of them fought hard for the title battle in three hours and seven minutes of play at the Centre Court on Sunday. Tanasugarn did well to take an early lead at 7-5, 3-1. However, the Japanese player bounced back to extend the match to three sets. But
couldn’t play up to the mark in the final set as Tanasugarn sealed victory and won her fourth title overall in the end.
The thirty-three year old Tanasugarn after her title victory said on Sunday, "I tried to be more aggressive in the decisive set and I finally made it. Osaka is a great city. This is a great feeling and hopefully I can continue to play like this and get a
good start to next year. Now I will have three days vacation on the beach when I get back, then I will be playing in Taipei and perhaps Toyota, followed by the Asian Games".
The Bangkok resident won her first three crowns on hard court at Hyderabad back in 2003 and on grass courts in Hertogenbosch in 2008 as well as the following year.
Kimiko was attempting to break the oldest trophy winner record set by Billie Jean King, who captured a crown in Birmingham back in 1983 at thirty-nine years of age. Kimiko is second, as she triumphed in Seoul at thirty-eight years.
After losing, the Japanese said, "I simply tried my best and battled as hard as I could. Nobody wants to lose, so I tried everything. Now I will play some ITF tournaments followed by the Asian Games so I will be continuing to play tennis the rest of the
season".
In the doubles action in Osaka, the third seed duo of Lilia Osterloh and Chang Kai-Chen defeated Rika Fujiwara and Shuko Aoyama in a two setter clash to win the title. The final match score was 6-0, 6-3. It was Chang’s maiden title while the third one for
her partner, Lilia Osterloh.
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