Event of the Day: Day 3 of the Toray Pan Pacific Open
Our event of the day is Day 3 of the WTA Toray Pan Pacific Open at the Arena Tachikawa Tachihi in Tokyo, Japan. A premier category tournament on the WTA Tour, the competition boasts past winners such as Martina Hingis and Lindsay Davenport. An exciting tournament so far, day 3 sees the second round of the singles event. Naomi Osaka, who upset Serena Williams to win the US Open less than two weeks ago, faces Dominika Cilbulková. Second seed Caroline Garcia must see off a challenge from the 2017 runner-up, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, to progress to the quarter-finals. Former French Open and Wimbledon champion, Garbiñe Muguruza, faces a potential challenge in Alison Riske. Riske has played well at the tournament so far, reaching the second round after entering the tournament via qualification.
Yesterday saw some truly memorable tennis. Johanna Konta, who has been struggling this year, beat Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski in straight sets. 7th seed Ashleigh Barty survived a scare in her first-round game against Coco Vandeweghe. Barty dropped the first set, 6-4, before bouncing back to take the second and third sets. However, the biggest story of the day was Sloane Stephens. The 5th seed, and finalist at this year’s French Open, lost in straight sets to Donna Vekić. Vekić, ranked 45th in the world, dominated the American with her return game as well putting up a good defence against Stephen’s aggressive playing style. However, while an undeniable upset, there is precedent as Vekić defeated Stephens at Wimbledon earlier this year. It’s set to be an exciting day of women’s tennis.
Honourable mentions around the globe go to the UEFA Champions’ League. Valencia face Juventus at the Mestalla in Valencia. Two teams with very different fortunes meet for this group stage match tonight. Juventus is unbeaten through four games and leads Italy’s Serie A. Meanwhile, Valencia, who finished 4th in the 2017-18 La Liga, sit just above the relegation zone after 4 games. Juventus reached the quarterfinals of last year’s Champions’ League, losing to eventual winners Real Madrid. Valencia, on the other hand, make their first appearance in the tournament since the 2015-16 competition. Juventus boasts a strong team, with an especially revered defence led by veteran captain Giorgio Chiellini. However, the star of their team is forward Cristiano Ronaldo, who joined the Italian side over the summer. With Valencia the underdogs, all eyes will be on the Spanish city to see if the home side can bring the Italian giants to task. Elsewhere, in the MLB, the Los Angeles Dodgers host game 3 of a crucial series against division rivals, the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium.
Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!
Photos by WTA, Toray PPO