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Xinyu Wang took her place in the second round of the Japan Open on Wednesday. The third seed’s clash against Jil Teichmann was the last first-round match to be completed in Osaka, on its third day. The world no. 39, 7-6(3), 6-3 in two hours.
Wang won 62% of her first-serve points to the Swiss’ 59%. She also won 61% points on return on the latter’s second serve while winning 55% of her second-serve points. Teichmann’s serve also came under tremendous pressure during the match.
She went on to hit eight double faults. Both players faced eight break points each. Wang saved five of these while converting four break points on her opponent’s serve. The 21-year-old’s the second-highest seed remaining in the draw alongside the no.1 seed and fellow Chinese player, Lin Zhu.
The two could meet in the semi-final given Wang’s also drawn in the top half. Meanwhile, looking to reach the quarter-final, Wang will play Himeno Sakatsume next.
Japan Open: Mai Hontama keeps the home hopes alive
In the four round-of-16 matches that were played, there was one upset.
It was that of fifth seed Nadia Podoroska. Local favourite Mai Hontama defeated the Argentine 6-3, 6-3 in an hour and 27 minutes. Hontama won 24 of 30 points played on her first serve to her opponent winning 24 of the 42 points played on her first serve.
The 24-year-old also won 11 points on return on 19 played on Podoroska’s second serve. In terms of break points, Hontama dropped her serve only once in the match, in the first set. She, however, converted four break points on Podoroska’s serve.
Hontama now awaits either Arianne Hartono or Panna Udvardy in the quarter-finals. In her second-round match-up, sixth seed Yulia Putintseva faced no problems. The Kazakh posted a 6-1, 6-2 win over Valeria Savinykh in an hour and 18 minutes.
Putintseva will face the winner between Wang and Sakatsume in the quarters. Lastly, Ashlyn Krueger and Anna Kalinskaya will take on each other in the quarter-finals of the Japan Open. Krueger beat France’s Jessika Ponchet 6-4, 6-1 in the second round. Kalinskaya came through against Briton Harriet Dart, 7-6(5), 6-2.