'23 WTA 500 Tokyo 9/25 - 10/1 2023

[ashkor87]

Pavlyuchenkova just thrashed Vekic..another indication of a court favoring big hitters..Rybakina would have done well, actually. .

[ashkor87]

wonder why Kvitova is playing in a 250 rather than here... calculation? how far is she from qualifying for YEC?

checked..she would be in the same place (9th) whichever tournament she won.. 250 or 500.. but surely there are a couple more tournaments where she could pick up points..?

[meganfernandez]

Regarding the absurdly low number of direct entries in favor of byes, ATP Beijing gets it right, IMO. 32 player draw, 4 qualifying spots, no byes. We get Medvedev-Paul and Sinner-Evans in the first round. I think this is great for fans.

[meganfernandez]

Oh I agree, in fact I do think that is what is going on...whether Rybakina is justified is a matter of opinion. I tend to be instinctively against officialdom and for individuals ..

I get why she's pissed and there's a case to be made for civil disobedience and making a point for the greater good, but I hope she didn't withdraw because she didn't get a bye or thought she was disrespected. The better approach is to show up, win your R1 love and love, and storm to the title. Take the high road, earn your platform, then make your point.

[ashkor87]

That takes a lot of maturity...

[meganfernandez]

That takes a lot of maturity...

Yeah. People should aspire to that. I expect my Wimbledon champions to act maturely. She has older advisors.

[ashkor87]

Her coach seems even more immature than she is...

[ti-amie]

[ti-amie]

Some images from the Player's Party

[ti-amie]

Day 5 Order of Play

Center Court Starts at 11:00 AM

ESP C. BUCSA vs USA J. PEGULA (2)
FOLLOWED BY
RUS E. ALEXANDROVA vs RUS L. SAMSONOVA (7)
FOLLOWED BY
USA K. DAY vs RUS V. KUDERMETOVA (8)
NOT BEFORE 5:00 PM
POL I. SWIATEK (1) vs JPN M. HONTAMA
FOLLOWED BY
JPN M. KATO/UKR N. KICHENOK vs JPN N. KAWAGUCHI/JPN Y. NAITO

Show Court Starts at 01:00 PM

CAN G. DABROWSKI/NZL E. ROUTLIFFE (1) vs JPN E. HOZUMI/JPN M. NINOMIYA
FOLLOWED BY
GBR H. DART/GEO O. KALASHNIKOVA vs USA N. MELICHAR-MARTINEZ/AUS E. PEREZ (4)
FOLLOWED BY
ESP C. BUCSA/BRA I. GAMARRA MARTINS vs RUS E. ALEXANDROVA/RUS A. KALINSKAYA

[ashkor87]

avidly interested in the Alexandrova-Samsonova matchup.. will Samsonova be able to blast Alexandrova off the court? Or will Alexandrova's superior return and movement win the day? Either way, it will tell me a lot about both players..

[JTContinental]

given the sloooow court, I dont expect much from folks like Pegula.. Samsonova and Swiatek, yes.

"I thought I played very well," Pegula said on court, after her win. "The courts play pretty fast here, so I was just trying to focus on my serve and my return, and I thought I did that really well, and was able to play a very clean match today."

[ashkor87]

avidly interested in the Alexandrova-Samsonova matchup.. will Samsonova be able to blast Alexandrova off the court? Or will Alexandrova's superior return and movement win the day? Either way, it will tell me a lot about both players..

so in the end it was Alexandrova's return that prevailed.. she really has a great return..

[ashkor87]

"The courts play pretty fast here

yes, that does surprise me.. of course, I have only Youtube videos to go by but the court does seem slow to me..much slower than the USO certainly

[ashkor87]

watching a highights clip of Swiatek, it seems clear her topspin doesnt really help on hard courts..she finds it difficult to hit through the court.. topspun shots just sit up and ask to be hit.. wonder how she has been so successful on hard courts..technically, she should not be. Only her movement and courtcraft plus her fighting spirit, I guess..