Tennis Pan Pacific Open and Thailand Open: Wozniacki wins the title, Nieminen reaches the final
World number two Caroline Wozniacki captured her fifth trophy in 2010 on Saturday, battling back from a set down blowout to get the better of Elena Dementieva in the final of the Toray Pan Pacific Open Women’s competition in Tokyo. The final match score
was 1-6, 6-2, 6-3.
In spite of the fact that the Dane was seeded number one to win the title, she came to Tokyo with something to prove, having lost her initial clashes in both of her past appearances at this tournament, however, she would have none of that this season, losing
only seven games on her way into the semi-final then pulling off back-to-back three set victories in her previous two clashes, edging the eight seed Victoria Azarenka in the semis in three sets. The final match score was 62 67(3) 64.
Elena looked extremely confident in the start of the final, cracking winners off both wings and hardly giving Caroline any looks in the twenty eight minutes opening set. The world number two, however, steadied herself from the beginning of the following
set, at last defeating Elena on the fourth occasion in seven career clashes. Elena double faulted the final two points of the title battle on Saturday.
Not only does Caroline now lead the Tour this season for trophies with five, she also leads for finals with a total of six and for match victories with fifty four. The Dane's other four crowns in 2010 came at Montreal, Copenhagen, Ponte Vedra Beach and New
Heaven.
Elena didn't lose even a single set on her way into the finals, upsetting the second seed Vera Zvonareva as well as the fifth seed Francesca Schiavone along the way.
In other action, Jarkko Nieminen from Finland advanced into his first final in 2010 with a two-setter victory over his German tennis foe, Benjamin Becker at the Thailand Open Men’s competition in Bangkok. The final match score was 6-3, 6-2.
The unseeded Jarkko, who is ranked number sixty in the world, took control of today’s semi-final round versus his sixty five ranked foe and cruised through their clash in one hour and five minutes.
Jarkko has not missed a set in his run to the title battle, including victories over the seventh seed Viktor Troicki in the second round as well as Jurgen Melzer in the quarters.
He is looking for his second ATP World Tour crown. His likely foe in the final is the world number one Rafael Nadal, who will face his countrymen Guillermo Garcia Lopez in today’s second semi-final match in Bangkok.
Tags: