Wozniacki’s Tokyo reign ended by Giorgi

TOKYO: Italian Camila Giorgi dashed Caroline Wozniacki’s hopes of winning a third consecutive Pan Pacific Open tennis 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.

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 hit back to take the second set, the Australian Open champion levelling with a ferocious backhand that forced Giorgi into a wild shot.

But Giorgi dug in and broke for 4-3 in the decider 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.

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.

Czech Barbora Strycova won a tempestuous encounter with Estonian Anett Kontaveit 7-6, 3-6, 7-5 and next faces Japan’s newly crowned US Open champion Naomi Osaka.

Eighth seed Strycova took the first-set tiebreak 7-5 but both players screamed in frustration at their wastefulness in a contest that lasted well over three hours. Elsewhere, Croatian Donna Vekic beat Britain’s Johanna Konta 6-3, 7-5.