TENNIS WTA TOKYO – Ana Ivanovic beat Caroline Wozniacki 6-2 7-6(2) in the final of Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo to win her fourth WTA title of the year in six finals. With her win in the Japanese capital Ivanovic is making a step closer to qualifying for the WTA Finals in Singapore. Diego Sampaolo
Ivanovic and Wozniacki met for the seventh time in their careers and for the second time in 2014 after Monterrey where Ivanovic won the semifinal with 7-6 6-4.
In a tight start to the match with very close games and long rallies both players traded breaks en route to 2-2. After breaking serve for 3-2 in a very long fifth game featuring six deuces, Ivanovic took control of the match reeling off 17 points in a row to clinch the first set with 6-2. The Serbian player hit 16 winners to 9 unforced errors in the first set.
Wozniacki, who played her second Grand Slam final in New York earlier this month, bounced back in the second set where she broke serve for 3-1 and was just two points from a 4-1 lead. However, Ivanovic clawed her way to draw level to 4-4. The Serb won five of the next eight games to force the second set to the tie-break.
Ivanovic pulled away in the tie-break and closed out the match with a forehand winner to clinch the win with 6-2 7-6 (7-2). Ivanovic now leads 5-2 in their head-to-head matches.
In the best year of the year Ivanovic has won in Auckland, Monterrey and Birmingham before her triumph in Tokyo and finished runner-up in Stuttgart (losing to Maria Sharapova) and in Cincinnati (losing to Serena Williams). She won 52 matches this year. It’s her best ever match win figure of her career. Her previous best was in 2007 in which she won three tournaments and 51 matches. Before the start of the 2014 season she had not won any tournaments for two years since the title at the Tournament of Champions in Bali in 2011.
She won her 15th career title. Four wins in one year is a career best, as she collected three titles in both 2007 and 2008. With the Tokyo win Ivanovic is projected to move up to fifth in the Road to Singapore.
“Caroline played a great match. It was really a very competitive battle out there with long rallies. There were some tough moments especially in the second set. I just tried to take it one point at a time. I am really happy to make it through.It’s just an amazing feeling to win here”, said a delighted Ivanovic.
