–

Six of the eight seeds made it to the Tokyo quarterfinals with the fourth match – Pavlyuchenkova v Alexandrova – also a high-quality affair.

“Performance bye” babies Sakkari and Garcia, who played in the Guadalajara semifinals a week ago, met again in the Tokyo quarters – with the same result.

Meanwhile, the qualifying at the WTA 1000 in Beijing begins, in the shadow of the best ATP players in the world taking the courts on the men’s side.

Leylah Fernandez is the No. 3 seed, and faced Eva Lys instead Nadia Podoroska Podoroska and others are still a live in Ningbo. Which meant that Rebecca Marino also was able to squeeze in as an alternate into the singles qualies. Neither was able to advance.

ATP Tour – Friday results

(Tokyo is 13 hours ahead of ET; Ningbo is 12 hours ahead).

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Toray Pan Pacific Open
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Outdoor Hard
Dates: Sept. 25 – Oct. 1, 2023
Prize money: $780,637
Draws: S28 – D16

Friday, Sept. 29, 2023
Final results

Singles, quarterfinals

[8] Veronika Kudermetova (RUS) def [1] Iga Swiatek (POL) 62 26 64

[2] Jessica Pegula (USA) def. [6] Daria Kasatkina (RUS) 61 60
[4] Maria Sakkari (GRE) def [5] Caroline Garcia (FRA) 62 62

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) def Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) 62 75

Doubles, semifinals

Ulrikke Eikeri (NOR) / Ingrid Neel (EST) def [4] Nicole Melichar-Martinez (USA) / Ellen Perez (AUS) 64 46 [11-9]

Eri Hozumi / Makoto Ninomiya (JPN) def Miyu Kato (JPN) / Nadiia Kichenok (UKR) 62 64

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Ningbo Open
Location: Ningbo, China
Category: WTA 250
Surface: Outdoor Hard
Dates: Sept. 25 – 30, 2023
Prize money: $259,303
Draws: S32 – D16

Friday, Sept. 29, 2023
Final results

Singles, semifinals

[1/WC] Ons Jabeur (TUN) def Nadia Podoroska (ARG) 63 16 62

Diana Shnaider (RUS) def Linda Fruhvirtova (CZE) 64 61

Doubles semifinal

[1] Laura Siegemund (GER) / Vera Zvonareva (RUS) def Viktoria Hruncakova (SVK) / Arantxa Rus (NED) 63 61

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China Open
Location: Beijing, China
Category: WTA 1000 (Joint event with the ATP Tour)
Surface: Outdoor Hard
Dates: Sept. 30 – Oct. 6, 2023
Prize money: $8,127,389
Draws: S56 – D28

Friday, Sept. 29, 2023
Final results
Qualifying, first round

Alternates roll

~~Nadia Podoroska (ARG)~~[ALT] Eva Lys (GER) def [3] Leylah Fernandez (CAN) 64 63
[6] Lucia Bronzetti (ITA) def. ~~Laura Siegemund (GER)~~ [ALT] Rebecca Marino (CAN) 64 16 62

~~Diana Shnaider (RUS)~~ [ALT] Laura Pigossi (BRA) def [16] Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR) 06 76 (4) 64
[11] Clara Tauson (DEN) [ALT] Ashlyn Krueger (USA) def. Tamara Korpatsch (GER) 76 (1) 61

Upsets

Claire Liu (USA) def [5] Bernarda Pera (USA) 62 60
Kateryna Baindl (UKR) def [7] Rebeka Masarova (ESP) 62 64

Seeds advancing

[1] Peyton Stearns (USA) def. Anna-Lena Friedsam (GER) 62 61
[2] Katie Boulter (GBR) def. [WC] Bai Zhuoxuan (CHN) 62 62
[4] Mirra Andreeva (RUS) def. Kimberly Birrell (AUS) 63 64
[8] Elina Avanesyan (RUS) def. [WC] Ren Yufei (CHN) 63 61
[9] Magdalena Frech (POL) def. Diane Parry (FRA) 64 64
[10] Yulia Putintsva (KAZ) def Jodie Burrage (GBR) 63 63
[12] Kamilla Rakhimova (RUS) def. Emina Bektas (USA) 36 61 76 (5)
[13] Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) def. [WC] Wei Sijia (CHN) 61 63
[14] Cristina Bucsa (ESP) def. Kayla Day (USA) 26 62 61
[15] Anna Kalinskaya (RUS) def. [WC] You Xiaodi (CHN) 46 64 75