JIM ARMSTRONG
AP Sports Writer
TOKYO (AP) — Third-seeded Ana Ivanovic of Serbia beat second-seeded Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark 6-2, 7-6 (2) on Sunday to win the Pan Pacific Open for her fourth WTA title of the year.
In a match that featured two former top-ranked players, Ivanovic broke Wozniacki three times in the first set at Ariake Coliseum and won the second-set tiebreaker with a forehand to the corner to capture her first Pan Pacific title.
“The key for me was coming forward to the net,” Ivanovic said. “She is a great offensive player and gets a lot of balls back so it was important for me to come forward and play well at the net.”
Ivanovic, ranked No. 8, did not drop a set in the tournament.
U.S. Open finalist Wozniacki, the 2010 tournament winner, had her serve broken to go down 3-2 in the first set and then lost the next three games as Ivanovic seized the momentum.
Wozniacki broke serve for a 3-1 second set lead and was up 30-15 in the fourth game, just two points from a 4-1 lead. But Ivanovic came storming back, winning five of the next eight games to push the set to a tiebreak, where she played almost flawlessly.
Ivanovic first played at the Pan Pacific eight years ago when she finished second, her best result before Sunday.
“I’ve always enjoyed coming here,” Ivanovic said. “This is a great event and winning today puts me one step closer to the WTA Finals in Singapore.
With the win in Tokyo, Ivanovic is projected to move from No. 8 to No. 5 in the world, and with eight players qualifying for the Singapore event, she has a good chance of making it.
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