This year’s Guadalajara Open champion Maria Sakkari beat Misaki Doi 6-3 6-1 in 65 minutes at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. Sakkari hit 25 winners and did not face a break point to extend her winning streak to six consecutive matches. Doi played her last match of her career.
Sakkari paid tribute to Doi in the post-match interview.
“I don’t want to talk about me today. It was an honour to play against Misaki in her last ever professional match. You deserve to enjoy life, enjoy yourself, have some fun. We know how tough the tennis life is. So take some time, and I am sure you will find a way to find something special again in your life. You had an amazing career, so congratulations”, said Sakkari.
Sakkari set up a match against Caroline Garcia, who beat Anhelina Kalinina 6-4 6-3.
Garcia fired 29 winners, including 10 aces, and dropped just seven first serve points. The French player raced out to a 3-0 lead, but Kalinina pulled back on serve to draw level to 3-3 and held three break points, but Garcia saved them to hold serve to hold serve at deuce to take a 4-3 lead. Garcia earned a break in the 10th game to close out the first set 6-4.
Garcia broke serve in the eighth game of the second set after Kalinina hit her drop shot. Garcia served out by holding serve at love with consecuve aces.
Former Roland Garros semifinalist Daria Kasatkina beat Despina Papamichail 6-4 6-4 in 2 hours. Kasatkina went up a 4-1 lead with a double break in the second set. Papamichail pulled both breaks back to draw level to 4-4. Kasatkina won the final two games to seal the second set 6-4 setting up a quarter final match against Jessica Pegula. Two-time Tokyo semifinalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova beat Linda Noskova 6-3 4-6 6-0 to reach the quarter final.
