Pan Pacific Open Round-Up | Eva Lys and Anna Kalinskaya advance comfortably while Vondrousova exits injured

The Pan Pacific Open, the last WTA 500 event of the season, has begun with a lot at stake for several big stars, while a good part of the draw will conclude their season in the Japanese capital. In the first round, stars like Eva Lys and Anna Kalinskaya debuted with victories, looking to climb the rankings by the end of the season.

The match of the day was undoubtedly the duel between Czech stars Marketa Vondrousova and Karolina Muchova—two former Top-10 players who have been plagued by injuries. Unfortunately, an injury precisely interrupted the duel in the second set, forcing the 2023 Wimbledon champion Vondrousova to retire while her compatriot was leading.

The match of the day featured the 8th seed Karolina Muchova as the favorite against her compatriot Marketa Vondrousova. Both Czech stars have struggled with injuries in recent months and were facing each other for the second consecutive tournament—after meeting at the recent Ningbo Open just six days ago—a match Muchova won in straight sets. Unfortunately, this time the match could not be finished, as Vondrousova suffered a recurrence of a shoulder injury.

The first set quickly went in favor of Muchova (No. 21), who secured an early break and led 3-0 in a few minutes. After saving a couple of break points against her, Muchova held onto her serve for the rest of the set, and Vondrousova was never truly effective with her serve. Muchova took the set 6-2 after securing her second break, having won 68% of her service points compared to only 50% for Vondrousova.

At the start of the second set, Muchova saved another break point against her—for the third time in the match—and went up 1-0. However, Vondrousova called for a medical time-out and, after a brief conversation with the physiotherapist, decided to retire from the match. The former World No. 6 had returned to the courts just a week ago—after a six-week break due to a knee injury that forced her to withdraw from the US Open. Muchova advances to the second round, where she will face the Aussie teenager Maya Joint.

The Russian Anna Kalinskaya (No. 38) had a comfortable debut against the Dutch player Suzan Lamens (No. 86), securing an easy victory 6-3, 6-1. Kalinskaya was coming off consecutive first-round defeats at the China Open and Wuhan but finally secured her first victory in the Asian swing. Lamens, for her part, had been eliminated in the qualifying round, but the last-minute withdrawal of Sofia Kenin allowed her to enter the main draw as a lucky loser, although she was quickly eliminated.

Kalinskaya was much more efficient with her break opportunities throughout the match, taking 5/7 break points compared to only 2/5 for Lamens. The Russian recovered from a break deficit in the first set (2-3) and took absolute control of the match from there on. She went on a streak of games—winning 8 in a row—to lead 6-3, 4-0. Although Lamens managed to win one final service game before the end of the match, she couldn't keep up with Kalinskaya, who finished off the win in just one hour and 10 minutes. In the second round, she awaits the winner between Diana Shnaider (7th) and Dayana Yastremska.

The World No. 50 Eva Lys had a tricky challenge in the first round against qualifier Katie Boulter (No. 63), who has lost form in recent months, falling in the rankings. The Brit was forced to play qualifying but earned good three-set victories, revitalizing her confidence for the main draw. However, she couldn't keep pace with Eva Lys for long, and the German secured an easy victory 6-2, 6-1.

Boulter was not very efficient with her serve, winning only 44% of service points, well below Lys's 59%. Although both managed cross-breaks in the first set that kept the tension high early on, as the minutes passed, Lys took control of the game and the scoreline—going on a streak of 6 consecutive games in her favor. The German survived pressure points and capitalized on her opportunities, securing 5 breaks and only dropping her serve once. The German ensures she will continue to climb the rankings (reaching No. 44 in the live ranking, her best ranking so far), and awaits the winner between Victoria Mboko (9th) and Bianca Andreescu.