TOKYO: Italian Camila Giorgi dashed Caroline Wozniacki’s hopes of a winning a third consecutive Pan Pacific Open title with a stunning ambush of the top seed on Thursday.

Giorgi, ranked 35 places below Wozniacki at 37th in the world, completed a 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 upset in Tokyo to set up a quarter-final with another former number one, Victoria Azarenka.

Azarenka thrashed Australia’s Ashleigh Barty 6-4, 6-2 as the Belarusian seeks a return to the top echelons of women’s tennis after becoming a mum in late 2016.

Wozniacki is one of the best defensive players on the women’s tour but the Dane had no answer to Giorgi’s power and accuracy from the baseline, and the Italian sent down 45 winners to wrap up the contest.

After tamely surrendering the first set, Wozniacki roared back to claim the second and go a break up in the decider but Giorgi could not be denied.

Giorgi reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals earlier this year and showed exactly why as she took just 38 minutes to take the first set with some brutal hitting.

The Italian sealed the advantage with a looping forehand that nibbled the back edge of the baseline, wrong-footing Wozniacki, who cut a forlorn figure as she trudged back to her seat shaking her head.

Wozniacki found her game in the second set, saving all nine break points she faced including one in the first game and five at 1-1 to send the match the distance.

The Dane started the quicker of the two in the third set, winning eight of the first nine points to build a 2-0 lead but Giorgi dug in and broke for 4-3 with another murderous forehand before delivering the coup de grace in a little over two hours with a fizzing backhand that Wozniacki could only waft into the net.

“It was a good match, nice court, it was fun,” said Giorgi, who will hope for more of the same against Azarenka on Friday. “I’ll just try to focus on my game plan as always and hope to play very consistently, like today.”

Azarenka, who has tumbled down the rankings following a lengthy custody battle over baby Leo, will be the fresher of the two players.

Currently ranked 63rd and competing as a wildcard, she clinched the opening set with a thumping pass that was too hot for Barty.

Azarenka raced to a 4-1 lead in the second and closed out proceedings by jamming up Barty with a vicious kick serve into the ribcage on her second match point.

“That makes me feel a little old,” said the 29-year-old when informed she had reached the quarter-finals for the first time since 2012.

“I think I played a lot better than in the first round. I felt I really controlled today and found the court really well. Obviously it’s been a while since I’ve played, I’m just trying to look day by day and see what happens. But I’m definitely enjoying my time on court these days.”

Czech eighth seed Barbora Strycova fought off Estonian Anett Kontaveit 7-5 (7-5), 3-6, 7-5 in a see-saw battle that lasted just over three hours and will face US Open champion Naomi Osaka for a place in the semi-finals.

Eighth seed Strycova took the first-set tiebreak 7-5 but both players screamed in frustration at their wastefulness.

Having used all her challenges, Strycova huffily staged a sit-down protest after Kontaveit saved one of eight match points with a passing shot that replays showed missed the line by some margin.

But the Czech returned to her task and closed out the match when Kontaveit whiffed a drive-volley long.

Elsewhere, unseeded Croatian Donna Vekic, who shocked fifth seed Sloane Stephens in the first round, beat Briton Johanna Konta 6-3, 7-5 to set up a quarter-final with French second seed Caroline Garcia.

Konta started poorly, but found her feet briefly in the second set, breaking twice to race into a 4-1 lead before imploding with a flurry of unforced errors that allowed Vekic back into the match.

Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2018