Madison Brengle sets up clash with Ajla Tomljanovic in Tokyo - UBITENNIS

Madison Brengle sets up clash with Ajla Tomljanovic in Tokyo

By Adam Addicott
2 Min Read
Madison Brengle (image via Luis M. Alvarez/AP)

Madison Brengle continued her quest for her first WTA title with a straight sets win against Nao Hibino in the second round of the Japan’s Women’s Open.

The third seed spent just over an hour on the court in her 6-1, 6-2, triumph. Playing a player who is ranked 80 places below her in the WTA rankings, Brengle was broken once compared to Hibino who was broken six times. The win will take the world number 42 into her first WTA quarter-final since the Stuttgart Open in April.

Awaiting Brengle in the last eight will be Croatia’s Ajla Tomljanovic. The 22-year-old experienced a tougher encounter against Japanese veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm. Despite playing a player twice her age, Tomljanovic was blown away at the start of the match as Date-Krumm swiftly opened up a 3-0 lead. The Croat managed to battled her way back into the set as she took proceedings into a tie-break where she edged her way past the 44-year-old, taking it 7-5. After taking the opening set, the second was straight-forward for the 22-year-old as she opened up a 4-0 margin on her way to taking the match  7-6(5), 6-3.

Brengle has played the Croat four times before with their most recent meeting occurring in the first round of the Strasbourg Open in May. On that occasion Tomljanovic took the match 6-1, 6-1.

In other matches in the tournament, Christine Mchale beat Japan’s Risa Ozaki 6-1, 7-5. The sixth seed was almost taken to three sets and was forced to save four set point’s during the second set before moving into the last eight. Finally Yanina Wickmayer stunned Swedish fifth seed Johanna Larsson. Former top 15 player Wickmayer eased her way to take the match 7-5, 6-3.

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