Ana Ivanovic beats Caroline to win title

Ana Ivanovic (in pic) charged the net repeatedly to overcome US Open finalist Caroline Wozniacki 6-2, 7-6 (7/2) in the final of the WTA Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo on Sunday. The 26-year-old Serb needed 99 minutes to win the battle of the former world number ones, stretching her head-to-head tally of wins over the second-seeded Dane to five-two. 

‘It was so hard physically. We had a lot of long rallies but to win the title is amazing. I really tried to come into the net and finished a lot of points at the net. I am happy because Wozniacki is a great defensive player and she gets a lot of balls back,’ said the third-seeded Ivanovic, who had ousted Germany’s top-seed Angelique Kerber in the semifinal. 

It was the first Pan Pacific Open title for Ivanovic, who has competed in the Tokyo event for eight straight years.  Ivanovic broke the 24-year-old Dane’s serve in the first, fifth and seventh games of the first set on a sun-drenched hard-centre court at the Ariake Coliseum. She rushed forward to volley a cross-court winner at the outset of the eighth and finished the set with two straight service aces. 

World no. nine Wozniacki, looking to get over her loss to Serena Williams in the US Open final two weeks ago, led 3-1 early in the second set. The players broke each other twice and levelled at 4-4 when the Serb overcame a break point, smashed in from the net and forced Wozniacki to hit a backhand long. Wozniacki slumped to 6-2 in the tie-break, hitting four successive shots long and wide. On match point, Ivanovic slammed a forehand down the line well clear of a helpless Wozniacki, the 2010 Pan Pacific Open champion.