 Photographer: None / Not Applicable
Date: 14 Oct 2004 |  Photographer: None / Not Applicable
Date: 14 Oct 2004 |  Photographer: None / Not Applicable
Date: 14 Oct 2004 |  Photographer: None / Not Applicable
Date: 14 Oct 2004 |  Photographer: None / Not Applicable
Date: 14 Oct 2004 |  Photographer: None / Not Applicable
Date: 14 Oct 2004 |
|
| 14 Oct 2004 - ITF - Will Fletcher | |
| Osaka Mayor's Cup 3rd Round Review |
Japan’s Yuichi Sugita flies the flag for the home nation as he seized a place in the quarterfinals of the boys’ singles at the Osaka Mayor’s Cup World Super Junior Tennis Championships today. The sixteen year old overwhelmed Great Britain’s only hope Myles Blake 61 62 and finds himself in unknown territory having never reached the latter stages of a Grade A event before. He is the only unseeded player left in the draw but having already defeated Abdullah Magdas (KUW), seeded tenth, and now the fifth seed Blake, without difficulty, he has shown he has the ability to compete in the latter stages. Sugita may be enjoying his underdog status but the Japanese boy, who is 348th in the ITF world rankings, will require all the home support he can get if he is to overcome his next opponent, fourth seed Sergei Bubka (UKR), one of the favourites.
Top seed Sun-Yong Kim’s form looks very impressive as the Korean again made light work of his third round opponent, Syrym Abdukhalikov (KAZ), wrapping the match up swiftly 61 62. Ireland’s Tristan Farron-Mahon, who will now take on second seed Woong-Sun Jun (KOR), knocked out seventh seed Takanobu Fujii (JPN) 61 76(5). The Japanese player originally looked the most likely prospect to keep the Osaka Mayor’s Cup at home but that task now lies with Sugita. Also through to the quarterfinals are Doakmaiklee (THA), Schottler (GER) and Yi (TPE).
Chinese Taipei are dominating the girls’ singles with three players through to the last eight. Top seed Yung-Jan Chan overcame Australia’s Shayna McDowell 62 64 while third seed Wen-Hsin Hsu defeated Nudnida Luangnam (THA) 62 62. Yi Chen has joined them backing up her second round victory over Julia Cohen by eventually getting the better of another seed, Austria’s Stefanie Rath, in a three set tussle 63 67(4) 63.
Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki put an end to Ayumi Morita’s dreams of winning her first Grade A tournament on home soil. Wozniacki’s determination proved too much for the Morita who faded towards the end going down 46 64 16. However, at fourteen years of age, the young Japanese player from Gunma will have many more attempts at the title. That leaves Erika Sema as the solitary Japanese player in the quarterfinals. She defeated I-Hsuan Hwang (TPE) 75 60 and will face the Slovak Republic’s Dominika Cibulkova tomorrow. Also through to the last eight are Katerina Kramperova (CZE) and Vojislava Lukic (SCG).
As well as the singles quarterfinals, the doubles semifinals will be taking place tomorrow. The formidable Korean pairing of Jun and Kim (seeded one and two in the singles draw) take on Bubka (UKR) and Farron-Mahon (IRL) while Myles Blake (GBR) and Abdullah Magdas (KUW) play Fujii (JPN) and Yi (TPE) for a place in the boys’ final. In the girls’ doubles, Japan’s unseeded pairing of Megumi Fukui and Kaoru Maezawa take on Chen and Hwang from Chinese Taipei and, in the other half of the draw, Hsu (TPE) and partner Maya Kato (JPN) meet the Australian pairing of Michelle Brycki and Shayna McDowell.
^ Back to Top
|
