Caroline Wozniacki zooms to victory

Tokyo: Defending champion Caroline Wozniacki romped to a 6-0, 7-5 victory over Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchen-kova on Sunday to win her third WTA Pan Pacific Open tennis tournament.

The Danish former world number one needed only 75 minutes to complete the rout under the Tokyo sunshine, capturing her first title of the year after losing in six finals.

Third seed Wozniacki stormed through the first set in just 22 minutes, blazing winners past a stunned Pavlyuchenkova.

The Russian saved a match point in the 10th game of the second set before Wozniacki converted on her third opportunity, the world number six fizzing a backhand pass down the line to claim her 26th career title.

“It was my seventh final this year and obviously after a while it gets harder and harder,” said Wozniacki after winning her first tournament since Hong Kong in October last year.

“Obviously I’ve won here in the past and it has great memories for me so I’m happy I was able to stay focused and aggressive,” she added.

Wozniacki, also Tokyo winner in 2010 and runner-up in 2014, joined former greats Steffi Graf and Gabriela Sabatini with three Pan Pacific Open crowns. Martina Hingis holds the record with five.

Ostapenko wins in Korea 
Seoul: Top seed Jelena Ostapenko clinched victory at the Korea Open on Sunday, defeating Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia in a closely contested three-set final. The 20-year-old French Open champion from Latvia rallied from a set down to beat the debutante finalist 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-4, in a match that lasted two hours and 15 minutes.

“I’m really happy to win my second title. I enjoyed playing here and to also see so many Latvian flags is amazing,” Ostapenko said.