Caroline Wozniacki eyes for the third title of her career in Tokyo

The US$175,000 AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships is being staged at Ariake Colosseum, Tokyo, Japan from September 29 until October 5, 2008 has attracted a strong field of entries. Heading the field is 18 years old and talented Dane, Caroline Wozniacki who is currently at her career best, WTA 17. This season Wozniacki has collected two titles from Stockholm and New Haven to join the list of other winners in the tour for the first time. She also made impressive run to fourth round at US Open.

Wozniacki will begin her campaign and will meet Argentinian Gisela Dulko in the first round. The two are tied 1 all in their meetings this year. Other first round matches are: Spaniard Annabel Medina Garrigues is the second seeded and is to face Chan Yung-Jan from Chinese Taipei. Third seeded Zheng Jie of China will be challenged by young Russian, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. While fourth seeded Maria Kirilenko from Russia will clash against Klara Zakopalova of Czech Republic.

The rest of the seeded players are Kaia Kanepi of Estonia as fifth seeded, and followed by struggling Israelian Shahar Peer as sixth seeded then Thai Tamarine Tanasugarn as seventh seeded and last but not least, Aleksandra Wozniak from Canada as eight seeded.

In their first round matches, Kanepi will be challenged by Czech Lucie Safarova, Peer will face wild card and former world number four from Japan, Kimiko Date Krumm. Truly darling of Japanese fans, Date Krumm won Japan Open in 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1996. Meanwhile, Tanasugarn will battle against qualifier and Wozniak will play winner of Japan Open 2002, Jill Craybas of USA again after they met in the same round at recent WTA Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic in Bali.

Other wild cards are Japanese Aiko Nakamura and Ayumi Morita.

Russian women rule the world tennis

In the prestigious Tier I event known as "Toray Pan Pacific Open" in Tokyo, Japan, today fourth seeded Dinara Safina captured her third Tier I title of the year by defeating her compatriot, fifth seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova with 6-1, 6-3 victory. Safina's record in the final this season became 4 wins out of 7. While Kuznetsova is still titleless this year and zero win in 4 final appearances.

Safina will have highest ranking of her career tomorrow at WTA 3. If she can continue her stellar form then she can follow her brother's achievement as number one in the world.

Another tourney of Tier III in Guangzhou witnessed Russian domination as well. In today's final top seeded Vera Zvonareva denied China's Peng Shuai first title of her career when she fought back to win 6-7(4), 6-0, 6-2 over the fourth seeded. Zvonareva is now collecting two titles this year after Prague and total with seven titles of her career. While Peng is now 0-2 in finals this season. She was runner-up at Forest Hills in August when she lost to Lucie Safarova.

Preview: First day at Ariake Colosseum featuring two Japanese

(6) Agnieszka Radwanska vs (WC) Aiko Nakamura

Sixth seed Agnieszka Radwanska from Poland will begin her campaign on her 1st visit to the most prestigious tennis event in the land of rising sun. In the 1st round, she will face Japanese wild card Aiko Nakamura on center court. If you haven't heard of her you haven't been paying attention, because she beat Maria Sharapova at the 2007 US Open, and she's also beaten Venus Williams, Martina Hingis, Daniela Hantuchova, Marion Bartoli, Nadia Petrova and Elena Dementieva. Then she defeated world number two Svetlana Kuznetsova at the Australian Open 2008 on her way to the quarter-finals. She won the Wimbledon junior title in 2005 and the French Open juniors in 2006. In the other three grand slams this season, Radwanska finished fourth round at Roland Garros, quarter-final at Wimbledon and another fourth round at US Open. She has collected three titles so far in Pattaya, Istanbul and Eastbourne. On August 4th, this Krakow resident had her highest ranking ever at WTA 9.

In contrast, Aiko Nakamura who is known to use two-hands on both sides, she has been struggling in creating more wins this year. Osaka born Nakamura reached her best world ranking at WTA 47 in August 2007 and since then it has been plummeted to currently WTA 146. Tomorrow's match is going to be her first meeting against Radwanska.

Long rallies is certainly to be seen by the fans as both girls like to hit long shots into the baseline. I think Radwanska is ready to mix the pace in hitting the ball and it will require Nakamura to be patient as well as to keep the ball in play. Once in a while during the match, I will not be surprised to see few dropshots from Radwanska's racket. Radwanska plays a smart game. She doesn’t hit as hard as other girls on the tour and doesn’t have a big serve. She plays great defense, and moves well. I will bet on the younger Pole and she will win in two sets.

Agnes Szavay vs (WC) Ayumi Morita

Agnes Szavay of Hungary is 19 years old and is currently at WTA 19. In 2007 Szavay started to be noticed as a new young gun by improving her ranking from WTA 189 in early of the season and reached WTA 35 in July after she claimed her maiden title at Palermo. As qualifier, this Monte Carlo resident was quite impressive at New Haven and only lost to Kuznetsova in the final. She tasted her first experience of reaching grand slam's quarter-final at US Open where she lost again to Kuznetsova. Szavay got even better when she grabbed her 2nd title in Beijing after edging past world number 3 Jelena Jankovic in three sets. As result, she ended the season at WTA 20.

This year Szavay's best outcome was in Paris Indoor when she became runner-up after losing to Anna Chakvetadze. En route to final, she defeated Daniela Hantuchova and Elena Dementieva. She also had more victories over Dinara Safina and Marion Bartoli then. Her highest ranking was at WTA 13 last April.

Ayumi Morita, 18 years old who plays exactly like her compatriot Aiko Nakamura with both hands on both sides, is no stranger to Szavay. In their first meeting at Roland Garros this year, Szavay won over Morita in three sets. Morita has been the talks of Japanese fans as the strong candidate to follow Ai Sugiyama's success. Last April Morita reached her best rank at WTA 97 but now she is at WTA 162. Like her senior, Nakamura, this season she has been struggling indeed. Her best results thus far are reaching 2nd round in Doha and Amelia Island. Last year Morita had better results and it was highlighted when she was a qualifier, she created surprise win over her mentor, Ai Sugiyama in three sets at Birmingham before she lost to Elena Likhovtseva in third round. Again as qualifier, she cruised into quarter-final at Bali where she bowed out to the eventual runner-up, Daniela Hantuchova.

Szavay and Morita are both fighters and fans are guaranteed to witness groundstroke contest for sure. Szavay will rely on her fast serve and powerful two-handed backhand. In particular, the Hungarian phenom will seize any opportunity to shoot her backhand down-the-line. Speaking of Morita, she is a typical Japanese baseliner and is simply retrieving the ball from one side to another with her powerful two-fisted groundstrokes. But Morita can be vulnerable to Szavay's big shots. So, my pick is Szavay the winner in two sets.

Two Serbians lead the excellent field in Tokyo

Serbians world number 2 Jelena Jankovic and world number 3 Ana Ivanovic topped the draw for "Toray Pan Pacific Open 2008" when it was made on Sunday. Jankovic, who reached the recent final of US Open, has a bye into the second round where she will face Flavia Pennetta from Italy or Israelian Shahar Peer. Ivanovic, a finalist here in Tokyo last year, also has a first round bye, before taking on Nadia Petrova of Russia or qualifier Aravane Rezai from France.

Russia has four seeds in the draw, with number three Elena Dementieva proving she is in great form after winning gold medal at the Olympics and as semi-finalist in the US Open. She receives a first round bye and so does another US Open semi-finalist, fourth seeded Dinara Safina. Dementieva waits the winner of battle between up and coming Alize Cornet of France or qualifier Aleksandra Wozniak from Canada. Safina, the younger sister of Marat Safin will play against Slovak Dominika Cibulkova or wild card and former world number one Amelie Mauresmo of France.

Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova, who reached the semi-finals when she played here in Tokyo in 2005, is seeded five, and her opening match is against China’s Li Na, who reached the bronze medal stage of the Beijing Olympics. Poland's counter puncher Agnieszka Radwanska is seeded six, and she opens against Japanese wild card Aiko Nakamura. Slovak Daniela Hantuchova is seventh seed, and she plays Italian Francesca Schiavone in the first round, while eighth seed Anna Chakvetadze of Russia plays qualifier Kaia Kanepi from Estonia.

Main draw matches get underway at Ariake Colosseum, on 16th September, with play continuing until 21st September.

Photo - courtesy of commbanktennis.com