 Photographer: Hiromasa Mano
Date: 10 Oct 2007 |  Photographer: Hiromasa Mano
Date: 12 Oct 2007 |  Photographer: Hiromasa Mano
Date: 12 Oct 2007 |  Photographer: Hiromasa Mano
Date: 12 Oct 2007 |  Photographer: Hiromasa Mano
Date: 12 Oct 2007 |  Photographer: Hiromasa Mano
Date: 12 Oct 2007 |  Photographer: Hiromasa Mano
Date: 10 Oct 2007 |  Photographer: Hiromasa Mano
Date: 10 Oct 2007 |
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| 12 Oct 2007 - Helen McFetridge | |
| Hofmanova struggles, Chernyakova out of Osaka Mayors Cup |
Top seed Nikola Hofmanova (AUT) dropped her first set of the tournament to Sandra Zaniewska (POL) today, but came through 64 67(3) 63 to reach her second consecutive semi-final at the Osaka Mayor’s Cup.
Hofmanova, going for her second Grade A title after winning the Orange Bowl at the end of last year, will play Romania’s Ana Bogdan for a place in the final. Bogdan eliminated third seed Elena Chernyakova of Russia in straight sets, 64 62, a result all the more surprising as Chernyakova had lost just four games in her first three matches.
In the bottom half of the girls’ draw, Chernyakova’s fellow Russian Ksenia Lykina had no trouble making it through to the semis as she defeated Bianca Swanepoel (RSA), seeded 12, 61 62. Lykina has not yet been tested in the tournament, but she should face stiffer opposition in the next round as she takes on fourth seed Kurumi Nara, the last Japanese left in either singles draw. Nara, who like Lykina has not come close to dropping a set yet, beat eighth seed Jessy Rompies (INA) 61 63.
The last two Japanese competitors in the boys’ singles went out today, with 11th seed Tadayuki Longhi and unseeded Sho Katayama losing to Ryan Harrison (USA) and Mark Verryth (AUS) respectively. Unseeded Harrison, one of the youngest players in the draw at 15, is making a real breakthrough at this tournament. His two tournament victories on the ITF Junior Circuit have come at Grade 4 and 5 level, but after beating top seed and world number 11 Ricardo Urzua-Rivera in the previous round he will feel he can go all the way.
Harrison’s fellow American Bo Seal is the surprise semi-finalist in the bottom half, after he beat fourth seed Christopher Rungkat (INA) 64 63. Seal will face sixth seed Tsung-Hua Yang (TPE) for a place in the final after Yang edged past Peerakit Siributwong (THA), seeded 16, 46 75 62.
Should Yang and Verryth win their semi-finals they will face each other in both singles and doubles finals. Verryth and his partner Alex Sanders came from a set down to beat Japanese pair Tadayuki Longhi and Yuki Matsuo, while Yang and Cheng-Peng Hsieh beat Yannik Reuter and Romain Sichez.
The girls’ doubles final will feature Hofmanova and Lykina taking on the Japanese pair Kotomi Takahata and Chinami Ogi. The Japanese knocked out their second seeded compatriots Nara and Misaki Doi, while top seeds Hofmanova and Lykina beat Bogdan and Zaniewska.
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