by ti-amieTournament: Toray Pan Pacific Open Tennis Location: Tokyo, Japan Dates: September 25 - October 1, 2023 Level: WTA 500 Prize Money: $780,637 Surface: Hard
M. Hontama (2) vs S. Imamura (WC)
N. Melichar-Martinez vs S. Saito (12)
H. Dart (3) vs S. Ishii (WC)
O. Kalashnikova vs Y. Naito (10)
H. Sakatsume (4) vs N. Hanatani
B. Schoofs vs N. Kawaguchi (9)
D. Papamichail (5) vs L. Marozava
E. Shibahara vs E. Perez (11)
S. Hosogi (6) vs C. Muramatsu (WC)
G. Olmos vs R. Saigo (8)
by ashkor87 Strong field..missing the USO finalists though...
Wonder if Osaka will try...too early I would think..
by JTContinental I think her plan is AO24
by ponchi101 She said so. 2024 is the start.
But I don't think it would be that bad to try it here. Sort of hometown, and just having her in the entry list would help the tournament. Gauge how far you have progressed and then you have three more months to move forward.
by meganfernandez A 500 tournament only has direct entry for 15 players?? Insane.
by ponchi101 How big is this draw?
Yes, that is insane. There is a lot of people talking about players not being able to make a living on the tour. I mean, make it 32, and spread the prize money, and away with byes.
And that is something that the WTA can do all by itself.
by meganfernandez
ponchi101 wrote: ↑Sat Sep 23, 2023 4:23 pm
How big is this draw?
Yes, that is insane. There is a lot of people talking about players not being able to make a living on the tour. I mean, make it 32, and spread the prize money, and away with byes.
And that is something that the WTA can do all by itself.
32 players, 4 byes. Agree, 32 players and more main-draw spots.
by ti-amieMain Draw Singles
(1) I. Świątek/BYE
Qualifier vs N. Hibino
K. Day vs M. Uchijima
Qualifier vs (8) V. Kudermetova
(3) E. Rybakina vs L. Noskova
A. Pavlyuchenkova vs D. Vekic
A. Kalinskaya vs E. Alexandrova
T. Maria vs (7) L. Samsonova
(5) C. Garcia/BYE
A. Krueger vs A. Kalinina
P. Martic vs Qualifier
BYE/(4) M. Sakkari
(6) D. Kasatkina vs M. Kostyuk
Qualifier vs Qualifier
C. Bucsa vs Qualifier
BYE/(2) J. Pegula
by Jeff from TX Does anyone know why Rybakina didn't get a bye and Garcia did? This means that the bottom half has 3 draws and the top only 1 draw. And agree - a 16 player field? Strange. And how did Kayla Day get a spot? I didn't see her name in qualifying.
by skatingfan
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Sat Sep 23, 2023 3:13 am
Strong field..missing the USO finalists though...
Wonder if Osaka will try...too early I would think..
JTContinental wrote: ↑Sat Sep 23, 2023 10:50 am
I think her plan is AO24
ponchi101 wrote: ↑Sat Sep 23, 2023 2:39 pm
She said so. 2024 is the start.
But I don't think it would be that bad to try it here. Sort of hometown, and just having her in the entry list would help the tournament. Gauge how far you have progressed and then you have three more months to move forward.
In an interview with ESPN at the US Open, Chris McKendry reported that Osaka said that she hadn't started hitting yet, only working on fitness, but that she would start hitting soon.
by ti-amie
She's pissed because the numbers 1,2,4 and 5 seeds got byes while she, the #3 seed didn't.
by ashkor87 That is very odd..can the tournament really do that?
by ashkor87 Garcia and Sakkari probably got byes because they went deep in the previous tournament and had to fly across the globe and almost 24 hours time zones to the next one...but calling it performance bye is not good
by ashkor87 WTA could not punish those who pulled out of Guadalajara so rewarding those who did play?
by skatingfan
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Sun Sep 24, 2023 4:14 am
That is very odd..can the tournament really do that?
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Sun Sep 24, 2023 4:16 am
Garcia and Sakkari probably got byes because they went deep in the previous tournament and had to fly across the globe and almost 24 hours time zones to the next one...but calling it performance bye is not good
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Sun Sep 24, 2023 4:21 am
WTA could not punish those who pulled out of Guadalajara so rewarding those who did play?
That's the way the rules are written for the WTA.
by ponchi101
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Sun Sep 24, 2023 4:16 am
Garcia and Sakkari probably got byes because they went deep in the previous tournament and had to fly across the globe and almost 24 hours time zones to the next one...but calling it performance bye is not good
I am being a jerk here, Ashkor, but, if you get 24 hours time zones of difference, you get to the same time zone
(I said, I am being a jerk, I know you know).
by ashkor87 He he
by ti-amieDay 3 Order of Play
Center Court Starts at 11:00 AM
USA A. KRUEGER vs UKR A. KALININA FOLLOWED BY
USA K. DAY vs JPN M. UCHIJIMA FOLLOWED BY
ESP C. BUCSA vs JPN R. SAIGO NOT BEFORE 5:00 PM
GER T. MARIA vs RUS L. SAMSONOVA (7) FOLLOWED BY
JPN M. HONTAMA vs JPN N. HIBINO
Show Court Starts at 01:00 PM
MEX G. OLMOS/BRA L. STEFANI (3) vs RUS V. KUDERMETOVA/RUS A. PAVLYUCHENKOVA FOLLOWED BY
BLR L. MAROZAVA/NED B. SCHOOFS vs MEX F. CONTRERAS/GRE D. PAPAMICHAIL
by ashkor87 from the fact that Samsonova won it last year, I am assuming the court is not too fast..
by ashkor87 Rybakina has pulled out now..well done, WTA!
by ashkor87
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 25, 2023 4:20 am
from the fact that Samsonova won it last year, I am assuming the court is not too fast..
saw a bit of her match against Maria.. court does look very slow.. almost in the Indian Wells league.. but then, Maria can make it look like that too, we shall have to see more matches..
by ponchi101
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 25, 2023 10:25 am
Rybakina has pulled out now..well done, WTA!
She says it is because of illness. I gather the WTA really has no say there.
There is something wrong with her, and maybe something that is lingering. Injury or illness, she is not at top level.
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 25, 2023 10:25 am
Rybakina has pulled out now..well done, WTA!
She says it is because of illness. I gather the WTA really has no say there.
There is something wrong with her, and maybe something that is lingering. Injury or illness, she is not at top level.
could be, could be just pique
by JTContinental The WTA has given 1000 level semifinalists first round byes in their next tournament several times in the past, so it's not like this is some weird thing.
by ti-amieDay 4 Order of Play
Center Court Starts at 11:00 AM
RUS A. KALINSKAYA vs RUS E. ALEXANDROVA FOLLOWED BY
RUS A. PAVLYUCHENKOVA vs CRO D. VEKIC FOLLOWED BY
GBR H. DART vs RUS V. KUDERMETOVA (8) NOT BEFORE 5:00 PM RUS D. KASATKINA (6)vs UKR M. KOSTYUK FOLLOWED BY
CRO P. MARTIC vs JPN M. DOI
Show Court Starts at 11:00 AM
USA A. KRUEGER/USA J. PEGULA vs NOR U. EIKERI/EST I. NEEL FOLLOWED BY
JPN H. SAKATSUME vs CZE L. NOSKOVA FOLLOWED BY
JPN N. KAWAGUCHI vs GRE D. PAPAMICHAIL FOLLOWED BY
JPN M. HONTAMA/JPN M. UCHIJIMA vs JPN S. AOYAMA/JPN E. SHIBAHARA (2)
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 25, 2023 10:25 am
Rybakina has pulled out now..well done, WTA!
She says it is because of illness. I gather the WTA really has no say there.
There is something wrong with her, and maybe something that is lingering. Injury or illness, she is not at top level.
could be, could be just pique
JTContinental wrote: ↑Mon Sep 25, 2023 5:20 pm
The WTA has given 1000 level semifinalists first round byes in their next tournament several times in the past, so it's not like this is some weird thing.
I wasn't much informed of this, but I found the news about it. And, as much as I like Elena, she is being pretty Prima Donna with this issue.
Neither her nor any other top players showed up at Guadalajara, which is an important tournament. The ones that showed up and now have to travel to Tokyo should be commended; they are the ones showing up for tournaments at the moment.
I understand that players cannot be forced to play a tournament but, if the stars don't show up at the big tournaments, what can the tour do? Giving Sakkari and Garcia a bye is a reward for showing up, something that Elena did not do, together with the other top names. And, I am sorry, Elena is not that big a name, because the WTA right now has no big names. Bunch of fine players, but no true star.
If they want the tour to prosper, the top names have to play and show up. When they don't, the tour suffers. And Elena is not helping by not showing up in Mexico, and now complaining about a fairly logical move by the WTA towards other fellow players.
by ashkor87 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 ..
by ashkor87 given the sloooow court, I dont expect much from folks like Pegula.. Samsonova and Swiatek, yes.
by ashkor87 Pavlyuchenkova just thrashed Vekic..another indication of a court favoring big hitters..Rybakina would have done well, actually. .
by 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..?
by 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.
by meganfernandez
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 26, 2023 12:42 am
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.
by ashkor87 That takes a lot of maturity...
by meganfernandez
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 26, 2023 2:09 pm
That takes a lot of maturity...
Yeah. People should aspire to that. I expect my Wimbledon champions to act maturely. She has older advisors.
by ashkor87 Her coach seems even more immature than she is...
by ti-amie
by ti-amie Some images from the Player's Party
by ti-amieDay 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
by 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..
by JTContinental
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 26, 2023 4:55 am
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."
by ashkor87
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 27, 2023 4:34 am
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..
by ashkor87
JTContinental wrote: ↑Wed Sep 27, 2023 6:15 am
"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
by 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..
by ponchi101 Players with extreme topspin have been successful on hard courts. Rafa has won enough there to be able to say he is good on hards. Wilander also has one Aussie and one US to back that claim. Sure, I would rather have Pete's FH on hard courts than Rafa's, but it is not such a limiting factor.
In the WTA, Sabatini's sole slam came on hards, and Conchita made one Aussie final. Two players with extreme spin on their main weapon (their BH's). I think Iga's FH does well on hards, and her BH is not a liability (last time I saw her, which was not recently, I admit).
by ti-amieDay 6 Order of Play
Center Court Starts at 11:00 AM
CZE L. NOSKOVA vs RUS A. PAVLYUCHENKOVA FOLLOWED BY RUS D. KASATKINA (6)vs GRE D. PAPAMICHAIL FOLLOWED BY FRA C. GARCIA (5)vs UKR A. KALININA NOT BEFORE 5:00 PM
JPN M. DOI vs GRE M. SAKKARI (4) FOLLOWED BY
Quarter finals
NOR U. EIKERI/EST I. NEEL vs JPN S. AOYAMA/JPN E. SHIBAHARA (2)
Show Court Starts at 12:30 PM
Quarter finals
RUS E. ALEXANDROVA/RUS A. KALINSKAYA vs USA N. MELICHAR-MARTINEZ/AUS E. PEREZ (4)
Quarter finals
RUS V. KUDERMETOVA/RUS A. PAVLYUCHENKOVA vs JPN M. KATO/UKR N. KICHENOK
Quarter finals
JPN E. HOZUMI/JPN M. NINOMIYA vs MEX F. CONTRERAS/GRE D. PAPAMICHAIL
by Owendonovan #23 Post by ponchi101 » Mon Sep 25, 2023 9:52 am
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 25, 2023 5:25 am
Rybakina has pulled out now..well done, WTA!
She says it is because of illness. I gather the WTA really has no say there. There is something wrong with her, and maybe something that is lingering. Injury or illness, she is not at top level.
#37 Post by ashkor87 » Tue Sep 26, 2023 11:10 am Her coach seems even more immature than she is...
There's a link.
(my computer abilities are top notch as you can see here by my amazing cut and paste job)
by ponchi101
Owendonovan wrote: ↑Thu Sep 28, 2023 1:21 am
#23 Post by ponchi101 » Mon Sep 25, 2023 9:52 am
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 25, 2023 5:25 am
Rybakina has pulled out now..well done, WTA!
She says it is because of illness. I gather the WTA really has no say there. There is something wrong with her, and maybe something that is lingering. Injury or illness, she is not at top level.
#37 Post by ashkor87 » Tue Sep 26, 2023 11:10 am Her coach seems even more immature than she is...
There's a link.
(my computer abilities are top notch as you can see here by my amazing cut and paste job)
ponchi101 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 27, 2023 8:15 pm
Players with extreme topspin have been successful on hard courts. Rafa has won enough there to be able to say he is good on hards. Wilander also has one Aussie and one US to back that claim. Sure, I would rather have Pete's FH on hard courts than Rafa's, but it is not such a limiting factor.
In the WTA, Sabatini's sole slam came on hards, and Conchita made one Aussie final. Two players with extreme spin on their main weapon (their BH's). I think Iga's FH does well on hards, and her BH is not a liability (last time I saw her, which was not recently, I admit).
Examples abound both ways. Remember Borg never won the USO despite winning 11 majors. I always thought it was because of excessive topspin....
by ashkor87 Kudermetova's punishing hard shots have defeated Swiatek and her topspin.. though it is really Swiatek's UFEs that cost her.
by Suliso Swiatek's has had a fairly mediocre season by her standards. Yes, another GS title on her favorite surface but nothing else of significance really.
by ashkor87 Impressive win by Pegula over Kasatkine.. saw just a bit of the higlights video.. she seems to have served really hard and well..her serve was always good enough but she seems to heva raised it a notch.. good for her
by meganfernandez
Suliso wrote: ↑Fri Sep 29, 2023 7:58 am
Swiatek's has had a fairly mediocre season by her standards. Yes, another GS title on her favorite surface but nothing else of significance really.
She lost to Rybakina three times (one was a retirement), Sabalenka twice, Pegula twice, Gauff once... maybe her confidence is a little dented, especially off clay. It will be interesting to see how she does at the year-end championships.
Suliso wrote: ↑Fri Sep 29, 2023 7:58 am
Swiatek's has had a fairly mediocre season by her standards. Yes, another GS title on her favorite surface but nothing else of significance really.
She lost to Rybakina three times (one was a retirement), Sabalenka twice, Pegula twice, Gauff once... maybe her confidence is a little dented, especially off clay. It will be interesting to see how she does at the year-end championships.
When you see someone able to hit amazing shots and keep them in, you wonder how she does it..when she can't do it any more, you don't know what went wrong either!
by ti-amieDay 8 Order of Play
Center Court Starts at 12:00 PM
Semifinal RUS V. KUDERMETOVA (8) vs RUS A. PAVLYUCHENKOVA FOLLOWED BY
Semifinal GRE M. SAKKARI (4) vs USA J. PEGULA (2) FOLLOWED BY
Final
JPN E. HOZUMI/JPN M. NINOMIYA vs NOR U. EIKERI/EST I. NEEL
by ashkor87 I expect Pegula to win this ...she is not going to lose to Tier 2 players like Sakkari and Kudermetova...of course, the court may be a tad too slow for her....
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Sat Sep 30, 2023 8:14 am
I expect Pegula to win this ...she is not going to lose to Tier 2 players like Sakkari and Kudermetova...of course, the court may be a tad too slow for her....
well, well,spoke too soon.. maybe Kudermetova is better than I think.or maybe Pegula isnt as good as I think.. both are possible.
by ashkor87 Great run by Kudermetova though..Swiatek, Pavly and Pegula one after the other...
by ashkor87 Pegula seems to have served not-so-well and VK has returned with venom.. that appears to be the story.. havent seen the entire match though, nor the analytics.. someone who has, please comment.
by ponchi101 We keep having this conversation. It is not that Pegula is not good; she is simply playing in an era in which the differences between players are minimal. A player that is off by 2% on one day will lose, to almost everyone in the tour (if that other player is playing at her personal best).
For example. Coco will return to action soon. And if she does not win immediately, let's not be surprised. She had a great US summer tour, she is a champ, but she will not become the dominant player just like that.
And, BTW. Kudermetova was in a slump, and now has returned. The cycles of the sport.
She has older advisors.
