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Former world number one Karolina Pliskova stunned Japanese tennis sensation Naomi Osaka in straights sets to capture the Pan Pacific Open on Sunday. The fourth seed took just 63 minutes to complete a clinical 6-4, 6-4 victory over the newly crowned US Open champion in Tokyo, bringing Osaka’s 10-match winning streak to a shuddering halt. “My serve is my biggest weapon and it was key today,” added Pliskova after scooping an 11th career title.
South African Anderson led the charge by blasting 17 aces past the Serbian world number three in a 7-6(5) 5-7 10-6 victory that shifted the momentum after the World side had lost the opening two matches of the day to fall 7-1 behind. “We’ve had some really close matches haven’t gone our way and I really wanted to put us back in there,” Anderson, who lost the Wimbledon final to Djokovic earlier this year, told reporters.
Osaka, supremely confident and in top form coming into the contest on the back of 10 consecutive wins, appeared uncertain throughout the match as her Czech opponent broke serve once in each set to triumph in 64 minutes. Prior to the final, Pliskova had spent 419 minutes on court, more than any other player and almost twice as long as Osaka, but the Japanese player soon wilted and was unable to match the brilliance that secured her a first Grand Slam title. Pliskova, meanwhile, was more than happy to take advantage of Osaka’s sloppiness, converting both her break point opportunities and reeling off the last 11 points to secure a second WTA title of the campaign.
Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic looked quite comfortable while playing together for the first time Friday night. Djokovic drilled Federer in the lower back with a forehand in the third game of their doubles match against Kevin Anderson and Jack Sock i…
Novak Djokovic “got his karma back” for inadvertently striking Roger Federer when Jack Sock did the same to him in the Laver Cup. Djokovic and Federer teamed up on Friday as they took on Sock and Kevin Anderson in the doubles, suffering Team Europe’s only defeat of day one with a 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 10-6 loss. “I apologised right away,” Djokovic said.
Naomi Osaka raised her game when she needed to, and it landed her a spot in the semifinals of the Pan Pacific Open. The U.S. Open champion, who upset Serena Williams in the final in New York this month, won her ninth straight match Friday, beating Barbora Strycova 6-3, 6-4. ”This was my third time playing her, and each time it was very close, so I knew she was very good,” said the third-seeded Osaka, the first Japanese player to win a Grand Slam singles title.
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