WOMEN’S TENNIS ASSOCIATION MATCH NOTES OSAKA, JAPAN | SEPTEMBER 16-22, 2019 | $823,000 WTA PREMIER EVENT wtatennis.com | facebook.com/WTA | twitter.com/WTA | youtube.com/WTA Tournament Website: www.toray-ppo.com | @torayppo | facebook.com/torayppo WTA Communications: Alex Prior ([email protected]), Bryan Shapiro ([email protected]) TORAY PAN PACIFIC OPEN - DAY 4 MATCH-UPS [3] SLOANE STEPHENS (USA #14) vs. CAMILA GIORGI (ITA #54) Series tied 2-2 Stephens prevailed in a three-set marathon in their most recent meeting at 2018 Roland Garros... Last year Giorgi made SF at Toray Pan Pacific Open... Winner faces Mertens in QF [Q] VARVARA FLINK (RUS #149) vs. YULIA PUTINTSEVA (KAZ #36) Putintseva leads 1-0 Putintseva triumphed in two tight sets when the pair met at 2016 Washington DC... Flink bidding to reach maiden WTA QF... Putintseva has lost twice in 2019 to players ranked outside the Top 100 [7] DONNA VEKIC (CRO #21) vs. [WC] MISAKI DOI (JPN #83) Vekic leads 2-1 Vekic has beaten Doi twice on hard courts in 2019... Doi coming off runner-up finish last week at Hiroshima... Vekic defeated two Top 10 players en route to SF at 2018 Toray Pan Pacific Open ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA (RUS #41) vs. [2] KIKI BERTENS (NED #8) Bertens leads 5-2 Bertens won when the two faced off at last month’s US Open...Pavlyuchenkova playing first event with new coach Sam Sumyk... Bertens has lost past two matches immediately following byes MATCH NOTES OSAKA - JAPAN | Sep 16 - Sep 22, 2019 | $823,000 | PREMIER [3] SLOANE STEPHENS (USA #14) vs. CAMILA GIORGI (ITA #54) Head to Head: Series tied 2-2 2018 ROLAND GARROS CLAY O R3 SLOANE STEPHENS 4-6 6-1 8-6 146 mins 2018 SYDNEY HARD O R1 CAMILA GIORGI 6-3 6-0 66 mins 2016 MONTREAL HARD O R1 CAMILA GIORGI 7-6(2) 7-6(4) 131 mins 2012 CINCINNATI HARD O R2 SLOANE STEPHENS 6-2 6-1 61 mins SLOANE STEPHENS CAMILA GIORGI 14 WTA RANKING 54 23 PORSCHE RACE TO SHENZHEN LEADERBOARD 94 20-03-1993 (26) DATE OF BIRTH (AGE) 30-12-1991 (27) $1,421,859 YTD PRIZE MONEY $375,583 $14,798,062 CAREER PRIZE MONEY $3,723,258 SINGLES TITLES (YTD / CAREER) 0 / 6 0 / 2 DOUBLES TITLES (YTD / CAREER) 0 / 0 0 / 0 OSAKA W-L (MD) * 1-2 5-3 YTD / CAREER W-L (MD) * 21-16 / 217-147 12-13 / 140-127 YTD / CAREER 3-SET W-L (MD) * 6-6 / 69-50 3-5 / 46-43 YTD / CAREER TIE-BREAK W-L (MD) * 11-2 / 59-29 4-2 / 36-29 YTD / CAREER HARD W-L (MD) * 9-10 / 138-96 12-11 / 87-80 YTD / CAREER Left Hander W-L (MD) * 2-1 / 18-6 1-1 / 10-9 0-0 / 9-21 YTD / CAREER TOP 5 W-L (MD & Q) * 0-1 / 4-10 0-1 / 17-34 YTD / CAREER TOP 10 W-L (MD & Q) * 0-3 / 9-18 1-3 / 36-57 YTD / CAREER TOP 20 W-L (MD & Q) * 1-3 / 26-43 * Updated entering 2019 Osaka 2r ROAD TO THE SECOND ROUND [3] SLOANE STEPHENS (USA #14) CAMILA GIORGI (ITA #54) R32: BYE R32: d. XINYUN HAN (CHN #173) 7-6(6),6-1 (1h34) Insights Follow WTA on Twitter: www.twitter.com/WTA Facebook: www.facebook.com/WTA YouTube: www.youtube.com/WTA from MATCH NOTES OSAKA - JAPAN | Sep 16 - Sep 22, 2019 | $823,000 | PREMIER OSAKA Tournament History SLOANE STEPHENS CAMILA GIORGI 2018 2018 R1 L - DONNA VEKIC (CRO #45) 6-4 6-4 SF L - NAOMI OSAKA (JPN #7) 6-2 6-3 2013 2015 R2 L - EUGENIE BOUCHARD (CAN #46) 5-7 7-6(7) 6-3 R16 L - ANA IVANOVIC (SRB #12) 7-5 6-2 2012 R1 L - TAMIRA PASZEK (AUT #32) 6-4 6-3 Insights Follow WTA on Twitter: www.twitter.com/WTA Facebook: www.facebook.com/WTA YouTube: www.youtube.com/WTA from SLOANE CAMILA STEPHENS VS GIORGI OSAKA OSAKA • Making third appearance at Toray Pan Pacific Open. • Making fourth appearance at Toray Pan Pacific Fell 2r on debut in 2013 (l. Bouchard after coming Open, where she made SF for the first time in 2018 within two points if victory in second set tie-break) (l. Osaka) and 1r in 2018 (l. Vekic) • Upset No.2 Wozniacki in 2r last year - her best ca- • After 1r bye, faces Giorgi in 2r today; came within reer win, in terms of ranking two points of defeat before winning their previous en- • Saved two set points during 65-minute first set counter, en route to the final at 2018 Roland Garros against qualifier Han in 1r on Monday • In addition to 1r exit here, during last year’s Asian • Faces No.14 Stephens in 2r today; sole Top 20 win swing fell 1r at Wuhan, made R16 at Beijing and was this season came over No.18 Q.Wang at the Bronx R-Up at WTA Finals in Singapore • Winner faces Mertens in QF • One of five Americans in Osaka main draw (also • Italian No.1 (at No.56) and only representative from Gibbs, Keys, Osuigwe and Riske) her country in the Top 100; next is No.126 Paolini • In 2019, has won more tie-breaks on tour than any • In addition to SF run at Pan Pacific Open, only other other player (11-2), followed by Bencic (10-3) outing during 2018 Asian swing was 1r defeat at Wuhan SEASON SEASON • Coming off 1r exit at US Open (l. Kalinskaya) and R16 run at Cincinnati (l. eventual R-Up Kuznetsova) • Made 1r exit at US Open (l. Sakkari) • Lost opening two matches of North American hard • During the summer hard court season, was also court season, in 1r at Washington DC (l. Peterson) R-Up finish at Washington DC (l. Pegula) and the and 2r at Toronto (after 1r bye, l. Bouzkova) Bronx (l. Linette); career record in WTA finals now • On grass, reached 3r at Wimbledon (l. Konta) and stands at 2-6 suffered 2r defeat at Eastbourne (after 1r bye, l. • Sandwiched between final runs at Washington DC Ostapenko) and the Bronx were 1r exits at Toronto (l. Azarenka) • Made QF run at Roland Garros (as the 2018 run- and Cincinnati (l. Sakkari) ner-up, l. Konta) • Fell 1r at both Eastbourne (l. Hsieh) and Wimbledon • Fell in 2r at Rome to eventual finalist Konta after SF (l. Yastremska) showing at Madrid (l. eventual champion Bertens) • Missed entire clay court season w/wrist and ankle • In April’s Fed Cup play-offs, won both singles rubbers injuries against Switzerland (d. Golubic, Bacsinszky) to help • Suffered 1r exits at Doha (l. Bertens) and Miami (l. USA maintain place in World Group for 2020 Maria) • Advanced to QF at Charleston (l. eventual champion • Lost both her matches (l. Golubic, Bencic) as Italy fell Keys). Result marked first QF run since reaching to a 3-1 defeat to Switzerland in last week’s Fed Cup final of 2018 WTA Finals in Singapore World Group II encounter. Her previous appearance • Miami title defense ended in 3r (l. Maria) in the team competition came in 2016 • After 1r bye at Indian Wells, fell in 2r to qualifier and • Matched her best Australian Open result by reaching World No.109 Voegele 3r (l. Ka.Pliskova) - was seeded No.27 in Melbourne, • Reached 2r at Acapulco (l. No.172 Haddad Maia) only her second time among the elite 32 at a major • Made R16 at Australian Open (l. Pavlyuchenkova) • Withdrew from Brisbane International w/right foot • Opened 2019 season at Brisbane, where she fell injury in opening week of season, before making 2r in 1r (l. Konta) before making a 2r exit at Sydney (l. at Sydney (l. Kerber) Putinseva after leading 6-3 5-3) CAREER MILESTONES CAREER MILESTONES • Ended 2018 season perched at a career-best • In 2018 posted best year-end finish of career to date, ranking of No.26, winning second career title in final at No.6; reached career-high No.3 ranking on July event at Linz (d. Alexandrova in F). Won 29 tour-level 16, 2018 matches in 2018 – the most wins she had previously • Season highlights in 2018 included capturing first posted in a single season was 28, in 2014 Premier Mandatory title at Miami – subsequently made Top 10 debut at No.9. Also reached her second Grand Slam final, at Roland Garros and posted R-Up finishes at Montréal and WTA Finals SLOANE CAMILA STEPHENS VS GIORGI CAREER CONT. CAREER CONT. • Won her maiden Grand Slam title at 2017 US Open, • Advanced to first Grand Slam QF at 2018 Wimbledon d. Keys 6-3 6-0 to become the fifth unseeded player (l. eventual R-Up S.Williams) on her 26th appear- to win a major in the Open Era ance at this level; became the first Italian woman to • Voted 2017 WTA Comeback Player of the Year. reach the QF of Wimbledon since 2009 (Schiavone, Returned to action at Wimbledon after 11 months on l. Dementieva) sidelines w/foot injury (had surgery in the January) • Other highlights last season included SF runs at • After 1r loss at 2017 Washington DC, went 15-2 Sydney (l. eventual champion Kerber), Prague (l. through US Open title run, including back-to-back SF Buzarnescu after serving for match in third set) and at Toronto and Cincinnati Tokyo (l. Osaka) • Won three titles in 2016, at Auckland, Acapulco and • Posted sixth consecutive Top 100 season, finishing Premier-level Charleston.