Kurumi Nara earned a spot in the second round at the Taiwan Open on Tuesday, while a pair of compatriots made early exits in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Nara, ranked 89th in the world, dispatched 94th-ranked Wang Qiang of China 6-1, 6-3 in just over an hour. Wang made four double faults and Nara dominated Wang’s 19 second serves, winning 14 of them at Yang-Ming Tennis Center.
Venus Williams sails through to face Putintseva in Taiwan Open semi-final
Venus Williams, the No1 seed, advanced to the semi-finals of the Taiwan Open after beating Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova in straight sets on Friday.
Williams has not dropped a set all week and needed only 72 minutes to complete a 7-5, 6-2 victory, although the opening set did feature seven breaks of serve.
Venus Williams and Misaki Doi to face off in Taiwan Open final
Venus Williams beat Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan 7-5, 6-3 on Saturday to reach the final of the Taiwan Open.
Williams, a seven-times major winner, will face Japan’s Misaki Doi in Sunday’s final. Doi, the second seed, beat the local favourite Hsieh Su-wei 6-0, 6-2.