Seventh-seed Shinobu Asagoe was overwhelmed by Sofia Arvidsson in a battle of stamina Wednesday, failing to advance to the women’s singles quarterfinals at the Japan Open in Tokyo.
Asagoe, ranked 36th in the world, got off to a flying start against the 94th-ranked Swede, only to lose her momentum in a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 second-round defeat at Ariake Tennis Forest Park.
Asagoe dictated the first set with a series of powerful groundstrokes and a solid rhythm, taking a 3-0 lead before Arvidsson broke back 3-1 in the fourth game.
But a series of unforced errors appeared to unravel the Japanese ace, including three missed smashes at the net that changed the complexion of the match.
“My timing was off and I got somewhat ahead of myself in my eagerness for a break point. I’d like to limit these types of routine errors in the future,” said Asagoe.
In other matches, third-seed Tatiana Golovin of France dispatched American Abigail Spears in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2, to book a second-round meeting with Saori Obata, a 6-1, 6-0 winner over Martina Sucha of Slovakia in the first round.
“I was pleased with my serve today and I think it will be a big part of my game as the tournament continues,” Golovin said.
Japan’s Akiko Morigami was sent out in a 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 loss to 16-year-old second-seeded Nicole Vaidisova of the Czech Republic in other first-round action.
In men’s singles, top-seed Mariano Puerta of Argentina breezed past American Eric Taino 6-3, 6-4 while third-seed Robby Ginepri of the United States demolished Alexander Popp of Germany 6-4, 6-0 to reach the third round.
In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.