Challengers
Maybe those bigger-than-your-ordinary-Challenger tournaments in Asia need to rethink this idea of spending $150,000 to make themselves worth more points to the players. It didn’t do much for the field. This week’s event at Tokyo was only a $75K+H, but it attracted a stronger field than the $150K at Pune two weeks earlier.
Of course, not all of those players stayed around very long. #1 seed Casey Dellacqua lost in the quarterfinal to Tamarine Tanasugarn, and #2 Misaki Doi went out in the second to Samantha Murray.
The seeds below that did better. #3 Stefanie Voegele beat #4 Kimiko Date-Krumm 7-6(7-3) 6-4 in the final. It looks as if that will put Voegele in the Top Hundred and earn her direct entry into the Australian Open.
The doubles title went to #1 seeds Barty/Dellacqua, who beat #3 Miyamura/Wongteanchai 6-1 6-2. It’s the biggest title, singles or doubles, of Barty’s career; her previous best was winning singles and doubles at the Nottingham $50K earlier this year.