The Toray Pan Pacific Open Tennis Championship continues this week as Beatriz Haddad Maia faces Bianca Andreescu while Diana Shnaider goes up against Viktoriya Tomova in the round of 16 and quarter-final stage. Damien Kayat previews.
2024 WTA Tour – WTA 500
Toray Pan Pacific Open Tennis Championship
Ariake Coliseum
Selected RO 16 matches – 23 October
Beatriz Haddad Maia 1/3 | Bianca Andreescu 9/4
Second seed Beatriz Haddad Maia will begin her Tokyo odyssey with a clash against former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu. The Brazilian rose to prominence with a semifinal run at last year’s French Open.
She started this season in humdrum fashion and was lacking momentum as we headed into the final 3rd of the campaign. But things suddenly clicked into gear with a runner-up finish in Cleveland. She hasn’t looked back since, going 16-5 in her last six completed tournaments.
She reached the quarterfinals at the US Open and claimed a maiden WTA 500 title in Seoul. She is fresh off a quarterfinal run at the Ningbo Open and she will go into this clash as an understandable favourite.
Haddad Maia has been particularly effective on return in recent times, using her trademark tenacity to harry opponents. She does have a tendency to leak double faults and she will need to work on that if she wishes to reach the upper echelons of the game.
This has been an up-and-down comeback season for 24-year-old Canadian Bianca Andreescu. The 2019 US Open champion was out for ten months with a back injury, only returning to action at this year’s French Open.
The Canadian gave a decent account of herself in the slams, reaching the 3rd round at the French Open and Wimbledon Championships. She also reached her first WTA final in two years, finishing runner-up at the Rosmalen Open.
However the positive momentum stalled significantly during the North American hardcourt swing. She failed to win a single match during the North American summer, losing to Paolini in an epic first-round clash at the US Open.
Andreescu has struggled to make inroads on return in recent months, coming into this tournament on a five-match losing streak. Andreescu will feel relieved after seeing off-home favourite Mei Yamaguchi in her opener.
Yamaguchi was playing in her first WTA main draw match and showed little fear, hitting a plethora of winners to go 3-1 up in the opening set. Andreescu slowly started to dictate proceedings, using her guile and experience to win her first tour-level match since July.
The Verdict: Andreescu to win in three 6/1
This will be their 3rd career meeting, and they currently share the head-to-head spoils at one win apiece. Andreescu was the winner of their most recent- and only completed- meeting, taking down the Brazilian in straight sets at the 2022 US Open.
I feel like Andreescu could pull off an upset here. She is one of the most naturally talented players out there and has the courtcraft to match Haddad Maia’s industry.
Diana Shnaider 7/20 | Viktoriya Tomova 21/10
The 20-year-old Russian Diana Shnaider has done more than just bring the bandana back into fashion this season. This has been a true breakout season for the lefty. She has won three titles this year, showing her dexterity by winning on all three surfaces (which augers well for her long-term prospects in the game).
She reached her first WTA 1000 semifinal at the Canadian Open and produced a career-best Grand Slam 4th-round finish at the US Open. Her form has dipped a bit in recent weeks (she came into this tournament with a 1-4 record in her last five matches).
It is probably to be expected after what has been an arduous season. Lest we forget, she also claimed Olympic double silver playing alongside Mirra Andreeva. She will be looking for a positive end to what has been an excellent campaign.
I think it’s fair to call 29-year-old Bulgarian Viktoriya Tomova a journeywoman.
She is yet to reach a WTA Tour final despite being on tour for around eight years. She has won a host of lower-tier titles but just hasn’t been able to make that significant tour-level breakthrough. She plays an extremely defensive brand of tennis that feels quaint in this age of big-hitting. Having said all that, she is currently enjoying the best season of her career, breaking into the top 50 courtesy of some consistent results.
She has reached two semifinals this season (including a maiden WTA 500 semifinal appearance at the Bad Homburg Open). She has reached a further three quarterfinals throughout the year- the most recent of which being in Korea a month ago. She picked up a solid opening win this week, taking down the big-hitting Kudermetove in straight sets. Can she collect a 2nd successive Russian scalp with victory over Shnaider?
The Verdict: Shnaider to win in straight sets 17/20
These two have met once before, with the Russian blitzing the Bulgarian 6-1, 6-0 at the 2022 W60 Istanbul event.
I think this match will trend in a similar direction. Sure, Tomova appears to have found some consistency in this campaign. But I just can’t see her living with the sheer ferocity of Shnaider’s groundstrokes.
