WTA Sep 27-Oct 3: Tokyo Pan Pacific Toray Pan Pacific Open, Tokyo, JPN PREMIER 5 $2,000,000 56m/32q/16d outdoor: hard | Free Live Video Live Scores - in popup window draws: WTA: Q - main - D - OOP photos: Y!: sports - news | WTA sports news: Yomiuri - Asahi Tokyo: radar - forecast - map - map2 #1 Dinara Safina #3 Venus Williams #4 Elena Dementieva #5 Caroline Wozniacki #6 Svetlana Kuznetsova #7 Vera Zvonareva #8 Jelena Jankovic #9 Victoria Azarenka #10 Flavia Pennetta #11 Ana Ivanovic #12 Agnieszka Radwanska #13 Samantha Stosur #25 Maria Sharapova

Tokyo Pan Pacific: 2008 - 2007 - 2006 - 2005 - 2004 previous other tourney pages next Tokyo: #8 Jelena Jankovic 5'9½" 130lb RH 2H-BH Tokyo: #25 Maria Sharapova 6'2" 130lb RH 2H-BH

On Saturday in Tokyo, Japan, in the final of the Pan Pacific Open, the 2005 tourney champion, 22-year-old unseeded #25 (and former #1) Maria Sharapova of Russia (residences: Manhattan Beach, California & Bradenton, Florida), won again, defeating this year's champ in Cincinnati, 24-year-old 7th-seeded #8 (former #1) Jelena Jankovic from Belgrade, Serbia, 5-2, retired when Jelena could no longer continue due to a right arm injury (Jelena is shown, obviously in pain, during the match, and Maria holding the ceramicware afterward). Maria's prize is $350,000; Jelena's is $175,000.     It was Maria's first title since returning to play this summer after a 10 month layoff due to a prolonged right shoulder injury.     Maria said: "It was a tough start today. Jelena started off so strong. It was my second final of the year and I was a bit nervous. But I played well enough this week to know I could give her a good match. Unfortunately Jelena had to stop. I wish her a speedy recovery, and hopefully we can play again soon...     "This tournament was a really good challenge for me. Having to play six matches in six days, I knew it was going to be a good test of what I can do." AP story - WTA story     Jelena said: "When you get an injury, you don't know if you can play or not. My wrist and whole arm is inflamed and swollen and I don't know when I will recover."     Both Jelena and Maria were trained, and still train, at the Bollettieri Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Maria now leads Jelena 5-1 in career matches, and Maria also won their previous encounter, on a hardcourt early last year in the Australian Open semifinals, 6-3, 6-1. Jelena's win over Maria was on a chlorophyll court, in the 2007 Birmingham final, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.     2004 Wimbledon, 2006 US Open, and 2008 Australian Open champion Maria is now 20-8 in WTA singles finals.

    Due to right shoulder rotator cuff tendon tears, Maria played only one match (a doubles match) between August, 2008, and May, 2009. She says that her shoulder has now completely healed, and her results seem to indicate that it has. Maria has a 31-8 match record this season.

    2008 US Open finalist Jelena is now 11-11 in WTA singles finals; she won in Cincinnati and Marbella this year, and in Rome, Beijing, Stuttgart, and Moscow last year, and ended 2008 ranked # 1 in the WTA. Jelena has a 43-15 match record this year.

WTA SCOREBOARD: Tokyo s=seed, #=rank, *=upset, LL=lucky loser ranks are for the previous week How do players get into the "draw"? Toray Pan Pacific Open,  Tokyo, Japan   tourney time:        = GMT +9 hours        = US EDT +13 hours        = US PDT +16 hours Tokyo News - Japan News Weather Forecast | Weather Maps | Weather Radar Tokyo: The main draw for Tokyo has 16 seeds, with 8 1st-round byes. There are 8 qualifiers in the main draw.     Qualifying (2 rounds) starts on Friday, qualifying finals are on Saturday.   click for broader view   Ariake Tennis Forest Park, Tokyo, JAP Latitude: 35.635404 Longitude: 139.788226 goto link for World Wind The Toray Pan Pacific Open was previously held in February, indoors at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. However, rescheduling of the Fed Cup 1st round resulted in moving the tourney to September, and the venue was changed to the Ariake Tennis Forest Park, the same place where the AIG Japan Open was held for years. The Japan Open has now been moved to Osaka. Toray Pan Pacific Open venue address: Ariake Tennis Forest Park, 2-2-22 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo Although this is an outdoor event, the Center Court stadium has a retractable roof, which is closed in foul weather. 2009: On Friday, September 25 in Tokyo, long-time Japanese #1 (and former WTA #8) Ai Sugiyama, 2nd seed Venus Williams, top seed and 2008 Tokyo champ Dinara Safina, and current Japanese #1 Ayumi Morita addressed members of the media... row 2: Also on Friday in Tokyo, busy Maria Sharapova, 2005 Pan Pacific Open champ, made an appearance to tell folks all about those fine Nike product which she endorses, yet still had time to practice at Ariake Tennis Forest Park... 2009: row 3: On Sunday, Ai Sugiyama (shown about to receive a hug from her current doubles partner, Daniela Hantuchova) was honored at a center court ceremony. 34-year-old Ai is retiring after this year's Pan Pacific Open. Ai reached a career-high ranking of #8 in WTA singles in 2004; she won 6 singles titles during her career. She reached #1 in doubles in 2000, and won 38 WTA doubles titles, including Grand Slam titles at the 2000 US Open and at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in 2003. Ai played in 63 Grand Slam tourney singles main draws in her career, and in every Grand Slam singles main draw from Wimbledon in 1994 through the 2009 US Open, 62 consecutive, an all-time record. After the ceremony, Ai and Daniela won their 1st round doubles match... Also on Sunday, US Open finalist Caroline Wozniacki and Venus Williams played Meet the Press...

Tokyo Pan Pacific, 1st Rd, Sun-Mon 10:30am loser's prize: $5,400 US; points: 1 *#56 Roberta Vinci ITA d #10 s9 Flavia Pennetta ITA 6-1, 6-2 Sun Flavia about to connect with a forehand, and Roberta after winning a point *#44 Lucie Safarova CZE d #11 s10 Ana Ivanovic SRB 6-4, 7-6(1) Sun Ana and Lucie driving forehands #12 s11 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d #53 Ekaterina Makarova RUS 7-5, 6-3 Mon #13 s12 Samantha Stosur AUS d #112 q Alexa Glatch USA 7-5, 6-0 Mon #14 s13 Nadia Petrova RUS d #86 wc Ai Sugiyama JPN 6-0, 2-1 retired—gastrointestinal illness Mon Ai and Nadia driving backhands, and Ai, unfortunately, not feeling well in her last singles match before retirement #15 s14 Marion Bartoli FRA d #29 Sorana Cirstea ROU 6-3, 6-0 Mon #16 s15 Na Li CHN d #48 Alize Cornet FRA 6-4, 6-0 Sun Na and Alize driving forehand and backhand *#39 Iveta Benesova CZE d #18 s16 Virginie Razzano FRA 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-0 Mon #21 Daniela Hantuchova SVK d #75 q Jill Craybas USA 6-3, 6-3 Mon *#52 Shuai Peng CHN d #23 Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP 6-3, 6-3 Mon #24 Elena Vesnina RUS d #36 Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez ESP 6-3, 6-2 Sun #25 Maria Sharapova RUS d #26 Francesca Schiavone ITA 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 Mon Maria serving, Francesca and Maria driving forehands, and Maria after winning a point     Maria, who was plagued by double faults at this year's US Open, had 7 DFs in 92 service points, but put 63% of her 1st serves in the box, and won 72% of her 1st serve points. #27 Sabine Lisicki GER d #47 Patty Schnyder SUI 6-4, 6-0 Sun #28 Jie Zheng CHN d #65 q Sania Mirza IND 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 Mon #30 Alisa Kleybanova RUS d #69 wc Ayumi Morita JPN 6-1, 6-4 Sun #31 Gisela Dulko ARG d #38 Agnes Szavay HUN 6-3, 6-0 Sun #32 Aleksandra Wozniak CAN d #155 wc Kimiko Date Krumm JPN 5-7, 7-6(2), 6-4 Mon Kimiko, who won the Seoul title on Sunday, volleying a forehand on her 39th birthday, and Aleksandra driving one *#41 q Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova RUS d #33 Carla Suarez Navarro ESP 6-1, 7-6(3) Sun #34 q Kateryna Bondarenko UKR d #77 Anna-Lena Groenefeld GER 6-3, 6-1 Mon *#50 Vera Dushevina RUS d #35 Alona Bondarenko UKR 1-6, 7-5, 6-1 Mon *#140 q Kai-Chen Chang TPE d #40 Kaia Kanepi EST 6-3, 6-3 Sun *#45 Aravane Rezai FRA d #42 Sara Errani ITA 6-2, 6-2 Sun *#58 q Andrea Petkovic GER d #49 Sybille Bammer AUT 7-5, 6-4 Sun #51 Magdalena Rybarikova SVK d #63 q Urszula Radwanska POL 6-4, 6-4 Mon

Tokyo Pan Pacific, 2nd Rd, Mon-Tue 10:30am Tue WTA story losers' prize: $10,275 US; points: 60 *#140 q Kai-Chen Chang TPE d #1 s1 wc Dinara Safina RUS 7-6(5), 4-6, 7-5 Mon Kai-Chen driving a forehand, Dinara and Kai-Chen driving backhands, and Kai-Chen after match point     Leading 5-4 in the 3rd set, Dinara was serving for the match, but double faulted on break point. Then Kai-Chen held serve, and broke Dinara again to win the match.     Dinara said: "The double fault didn't affect me that much. Whether it's a double fault or a mistake it's the same. It's just the way I played at 5-4. It wasn't the right game, I didn't use my first serve the whole game... This is not an easy moment but that's sport. I didn't play good in the match today. I had a lot chances in the third set and just let it go."     Kai-Chen has won one ITF title, but had never played in a WTA-level tourney until she entered qualifying at this year's US Open. She has a 15-3 match record since then, having won her way through qualifying into the main draw in all four tourneys she has entered.     Kai-Chen said: "On match point, I was just thinking the same thing as always. I wasn't thinking 'Oh, I have match point, I'm going to win.'" AP story *#41 q Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova RUS d #3 s2 Venus Williams USA 7-6(6), 7-5 Mon Venus and Anastasia driving forehands *#34 q Kateryna Bondarenko UKR d #4 s3 Elena Dementieva RUS 6-2, 6(3)-7, 6-1 Tue Kateryna following a backhand, and Elena driving one     Elena fended off three match points against her in the 2nd set, but could not keep Kateryna at bay in the 3rd.     Kateryna said: "I was focusing on every point, and after the second set I was still on the court so I had to keep playing. It was very difficult, but I had to refocus and stay calm. I'm a little tired from the match, but I feel good to have won." *#32 Aleksandra Wozniak CAN d #5 s4 Caroline Wozniacki DEN 5-0 retired—illness Tue     19-year-old Caroline has played in 26 tourneys in the past year, more than any other player in the top 25. Caroline said: ""I've been feeling sick since before I left home. Although I thought I could play, every time I did my heart rate went up and I'd feel dizzy. I tried my best and am disappointed I had to retire. There are still a few tournaments left, though, and I'll give my 100% for Beijing." *#58 q Andrea Petkovic GER d #6 s5 Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 Mon Svetlana and Andrea driving forehand and backhand, and Andrea after winning a point *#30 Alisa Kleybanova RUS d #7 s6 Vera Zvonareva RUS 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 Tue Alisa serving (she fired 10 aces during the match), and Vera running down a forehand #8 s7 Jelena Jankovic SRB d #27 Sabine Lisicki GER 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 Tue Jelena and Sabine driving forehands, and Jelena's backhand drive #9 s8 Victoria Azarenka BLR d #28 Jie Zheng CHN 6-1, 6-1 Tue #12 s11 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d #21 Daniela Hantuchova SVK 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 Tue *#25 Maria Sharapova RUS d #13 s12 Samantha Stosur AUS 6-0, 6-1 Tue Maria serving, Samantha following a backhand, Maria driving one, and after match point     Maria's serves were the best she has delivered in any match since she returned to play this year after a prolonged shoulder injury. Maria delivered 7 aces with only 1 double fault in 42 service points, put 71% of her 1st serves in the box, and won 87% of her 1st serve points. *#51 Magdalena Rybarikova SVK d #14 s13 Nadia Petrova RUS 6-2, 6-2 Tue #15 s14 Marion Bartoli FRA d #45 Aravane Rezai FRA 6-4, 6-2 Tue Marion driving her 2-handed forehand (with backhand grip), and Aravane's backhand drive #16 s15 Na Li CHN d #50 Vera Dushevina RUS 7-5, 6-0 Tue Na driving a backhand #24 Elena Vesnina RUS d #56 Roberta Vinci ITA 6-1, 7-6(6) Tue *#39 Iveta Benesova CZE d #31 Gisela Dulko ARG 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 Tue #44 Lucie Safarova CZE d #52 Shuai Peng CHN 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 Tue

Tokyo Pan Pacific, 3rd Rd, Wed 10:30am & 11am WTA story losers' prize: $20,000 US; points: 110 Wednesday: some matches moved to alternate indoor venues due to rain #8 s7 Jelena Jankovic SRB d #24 Elena Vesnina RUS 6-1, 3-0 retired—left thigh strain Jelena and Elena driving forehands, and Jelena fielding another #9 s8 Victoria Azarenka BLR d #44 Lucie Safarova CZE 7-5, 6-4 Lucie and Vika driving lefty and righty backhands #12 s11 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d #58 q Andrea Petkovic GER 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 Andrea serving, and Agnieszka driving a backhand #15 s14 Marion Bartoli FRA d #41 q Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova RUS 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 Anastasia and Marion driving backhands #16 s15 Na Li CHN d #34 q Kateryna Bondarenko UKR 2-6, 7-5, 6-3     It rained all day in Tokyo. Although several matches were completed in Ariake Colosseum, which has a retractable roof, this match, the Rybarikova/Wozniak match, and the Benesova/Chang match had to be played indoors at alternate venues.     Na said: "Today was really tough. We were supposed to play outside but because of the rain they switched us to an indoor court. It was tough for all the players but I won the match, so it was okay.     "I saw Kateryna play Dementieva yesterday. She is an amazing player and has a very good serve. I lost the first set and was down in the second but I didn't give up, I knew I had to stick in there." #25 Maria Sharapova RUS d #30 Alisa Kleybanova RUS 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 Maria driving forehand & backhand, and after match point (no photos of Alisa were found)     Alisa struck 8 aces, but with 9 double faults; Maria delivered 5 aces, with 7 double faults, but had no DFs in the 3rd set.     Maria said: "[Alisa] started off really strong. I was too slow in the beginning. Nobody had much of a warmup today [due to the rain]; we kind of had to warm up in the first few games and she did a much better job of that than me...     "Some of the other girls not in the top 10 have [also] played really well here. You've got to expect that from every player you play and focus on the task at hand." AP story *#51 Magdalena Rybarikova SVK d #32 Aleksandra Wozniak CAN 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 #39 Iveta Benesova CZE d #140 q Kai-Chen Chang TPE 7-5, 6-2

Tokyo Pan Pacific, QFs, Thu 11am AP story losers' prize: $40,000 US; points: 200 #8 s7 Jelena Jankovic SRB d #15 s14 Marion Bartoli FRA 6-4, 6-3 Marion about to swat a forehand, Jelena driving one, and after winning a point     Jelena had lost to Marion earlier this year at the Australian Open and at Stanford. Jelena said: "When my thoughts are on the court, I play at another level. That wasn’t the case in previous matches. Today, I controlled the match and didn’t let her play her game...     "A lot of things happened this year. My mother had surgery and my grandmother died, and that affects your game. Tennis becomes secondary because there are more important things in life than tennis, but now it’s the end of the year and hopefully I can finish strong and make a good start to 2010." *#16 s15 Na Li CHN d #9 s8 Victoria Azarenka BLR 7-6(7), 4-6, 7-6(4) Vika and Na driving forehand and backhand #12 s11 Agnieszka Radwanska POL d #51 Magdalena Rybarikova SVK 6-3, 6-1 Agnieszka driving a forehand, Magdalena volleying a backhand, and Agnieszka about to hit balls to the crowd after the match #25 Maria Sharapova RUS d #39 Iveta Benesova CZE 6-4, 6-3 Maria twisting a serve, Iveta about to connect with a forehand, Maria driving a backhand, and after match point     Maria served 8 double faults in 74 service points, but put 68% of her 1st serves in the box, and won 72% of her 1st serve points, including 6 aces.     Maria said: "I feel like I’m starting to get the feeling back of being able to figure things out automatically. Like knowing when you have to be patient and when you have to be aggressive... The goal is to be aggressive. I can make a few more errors but it’s all about execution and knowing when not to make a mistake."

Tokyo Pan Pacific, SFs, Fri noon AP story - WTA story loser's prize: $87,500 US; points: 350 #8 s7 Jelena Jankovic SRB d #16 s15 Na Li CHN 6-4, 6-3 Jelena twisting a serve, Na and Jelena driving backhand and forehand, and Jelena after match point     Down a break at 1-2 in the 2nd set, Jelena called the trainer to treat her right arm.     Jelena said: "I started to feel some pain in my arm. The ball was heavy in this humidity. I received some treatment and tried not think about it and just fight for every point...     "Li Na is a player who should be in the Top 10. She has a great game. But she has been unlucky with her injuries.     "My tennis is coming back. So much has happened in my life this year off the court and it has been a tough year, but I believe in myself."     About playing Maria Sharapova in the final, Jelena said: "I'm happy to have two titles this year, and if I can get a third tomorrow that would be a great year for me. I haven't played Maria for a long time, and I don't really know how she's playing, but I still have a chance to win." *#25 Maria Sharapova RUS d #12 s11 Agnieszka Radwanska POL 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 Maria driving a forehand, Agnieszka and Maria driving backhands, and Maria after match point     About playing Jelena Jankovic in the final, Maria said: "I expect a tough match. Jelena is a very solid player, a great mover, so it will be a very physical match. I'll have to fight for every point."

Tokyo Pan Pacific, Final, Sat 1pm loser's prize: $175,000 US; points: 550 winner's prize: $350,000 US; points: 800 *#25 Maria Sharapova RUS d #8 s7 Jelena Jankovic SRB 5-2 retired—right arm injury Maria twisting a serve, Jelena driving a backhand, Maria following one, and Jelena congratulating—Maria consoling

Tokyo Pan Pacific, Doubles Final, Sat losers' prize: $50,000 US winners' prize: $100,000 US *Francesca Schiavone & Alisa Kleybanova d Ai Sugiyama & Daniela Hantuchova 6-4, 6-2 row 1:Ai & Daniela during their QF win over French Open champs Anabel Medina Garrigues & Virginia Ruano Pascual: after winning a point; Ai delivering a smash, and after winning another point   row 2: Doubles final: Alisa & Francesca, Ai addressing the crowd, and leaving the court after the last WTA match of her 17-year career Ai's last "blog" Tokyo Pan Pacific, Qual Finals, Sat Sep 26 10:00am losers' prizes: q1 $1,500 1pt; q2 $2,900 20pts; qualifier 30 points #34 Kateryna Bondarenko UKR v #83 Anastasija Sevastova LAT 6-3, 6-3 #41 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova RUS v #90 Alla Kudryavtseva RUS 6-2, 6-4 *#75 Jill Craybas USA d #43 Melanie Oudin USA 6-2, 6-2 #58 Andrea Petkovic GER d #71 Julie Coin FRA 6-4, 6-2 #63 Urszula Radwanska POL d #16 Anastasia Rodionova RUS 6-3, 6-1 #65 Sania Mirza IND d #87 Viktoriya Kutuzova UKR 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 *#140 Kai-Chen Chang TPE d #67 Alberta Brianti ITA 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 *#112 Alexa Glatch USA d #89 Vania King USA 7-6(4), 1-6, 7-5 Tokyo Pan Pacific, Withdrawals #2 Serena Williams USA #19 Dominika Cibulkova SVK right rib injury #20 Amelie Mauresmo FRA #22 Yanina Wickmayer BEL #37 Melinda Czink HUN #59 Anna Chakvetadze RUS

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