Champion Caroline Wozniacki crashes out in Tokyo

Caroline Wozniacki

Italian Camila Giorgi dashed Caroline Wozniacki's hopes of a winning a third consecutive Pan Pacific Open title with a stunning ambush of the top seed on Thursday. Giorgi, ranked 35 places below Wozniacki at 37th in the world, completed a 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 upset in Tokyo to set up a quarter-final with another former number one, Victoria Azarenka.

Azarenka thrashed Australia's Ashleigh Barty 6-4, 6-2 as the Belarusian seeks a return to the top echelons of women's tennis after becoming a mum in late 2016. Giorgi reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals earlier this year and showed exactly why as she took just 38 minutes to take the first set with some brutal hitting.

The Italian sealed the advantage with a looping forehand that nibbled the back edge of the baseline, wrong-footing Wozniacki, who cut a forlorn figure as she trudged back to her seat shaking her head. Wozniacki hit back to take the second set, the Australian Open champion levelling with a ferocious backhand that forced Giorgi into a wild shot. But Giorgi dug in and broke for 4-3 in the decider with another murderous forehand before delivering the coup de grace in a little over two hours with a fizzing backhand that Wozniacki could only waft into the net.

"It was a good match, nice court, it was fun," said Giorgi, who will hope for more of the same against Azarenka on Friday. "I'll just try to focus on my game plan as always and hope to play very consistently, like today."

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