Top-seeded Wozniacki, 40-year-old Date Krumm move into 3rd round at Pam Pacific

Wozniacki, veteran Date Krumm win at Pan Pacific

TOKYO — Top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki cruised into the third round of the Pan Pacific Open, while Kimiko Date Krumm of Japan celebrated her 40th birthday with a win over Daniela Hantuchova on Tuesday.

Wozniacki defeated Greta Arn of Hungary 6-1, 6-3. Date Krumm was leading 2-6, 6-0, 4-0 when Hantuchova was forced to retire with a right shoulder injury.

“Maybe I was lucky because it was my birthday,” Date Krumm said a day after upsetting defending champion Maria Sharapova. “Considering I had a tough match yesterday, I felt pretty good today.”

Date Krumm, who won the Tokyo tournament in 1995, turned pro in 1989 and retired in 1996, before resuming her career nearly 12 years later. Earlier this year, she became the oldest woman to beat a top 10 player with a win over Dinara Safina at the French Open.

A win in Tokyo would make her the oldest woman to win a WTA Tour title. Billie Jean King won the Birmingham title in 1983 aged 39.

Wozniacki, who had a first-round bye, needed just over an hour to dispatch Arn at Ariake Colosseum for her first win in three appearances in the Tokyo tournament.

“It’s a new tournament every year,” said Wozniacki. “It’s a really fast court here, so you need to always be focused.”

Wozniacki next faces 16th-seeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia in the third round. Pavlyuchenkova beat Kateryna Bondarenko of Ukraine 6-2, 6-1.

Elsewhere, No. 2 Vera Zvonareva of Russia overpowered Sara Errani of Italy 6-3, 6-3, No. 7 Elena Dementieva of Russia beat Yaroslav Shvedova of Kazakhstan’s 6-0, 6-1 and No. 8 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus beat Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 6-3.