Katerina Siniakova battled past Louisa Chirico in three sets 6-4 5-7 7-6 (7-3) after nearly three hours to get through to the quarter final of the WTA International Tournament in Tokyo.
Siniakova clinched the match on her sixth match point in the tie-break of the third set after failing to convert five chances in the third set, including three on her serve. She was leading 5-2 in the second set, but Chirico broke three times in the final five games to force the match to the third set. The Czech player then wasted a 5-3 lead before closing out the match in 2 hours and 59 minutes.
World Number 84 Varvara Lepchenko edged past number 4 seed Johanna Larsson 6-2 3-6 6-4 to advance to the quarter final. Larsson had previously won three of their four head-to-head matches, including a win earlier this year in New Haven. Both players traded breaks in the first two games of the opening set. In the second game Lepchenko saved seven break points before dropping her serve. Lepchenko got a double break in the third and seventh games and did not face any break points on her serve en route to winning the first set. There were just two break point chances in the second set. Lepchenko did not convert her chance in the second game. Larsson got her only chance in the fifth game to clinch the second set.
Both players traded breaks in the third and fourth games of the decisive set. Larsson earned two break points in the seventh game but failed to convert them as Lepchenko went up 15-40 on Larsson’s serve in the 10th game and broke serve on her second match point.
Yulia Putintseva beat Maria Sakkari 6-4 6-3. Putintseva got a double break in the first and third games. Sakkari got one of the two breaks back on her fourth break point in the sixth game. Putintseva closed out the first set on her second set point. In the second set Sakkari had to fend off two break points before breaking serve. Putintseva broke three times to close out the second set 6-3.
Home favourite Naomi Osaka eased past Anett Kontaveit 6-0 6-2 in a rain-delayed first round match to reach the third round. Meanwhile, Jana Cepelova cruised through Jang Su Jeong 6-3 6-1 and Magda Linette saw off Erika Sema 6-1 6-0.
