Tokyo : Local favourite Kurumi Nara squandered a one-set lead as she was bundled out of the Japan Women's Open by Slovakia's Jana Cepelova on Friday. The world number 81 was the last Japanese player standing in Tokyo but frittered away a solid start in a 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 quarter-fin
Tokyo : Local favourite Kurumi Nara squandered a one-set lead as she was bundled out of the JapanWomen's Open by Slovakia's Jana Cepelova on Friday.
The world number 81 was the last Japanese player standing in Tokyo but frittered away a solid start in a 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 quarter-final defeat.
"I had opportunities to build on that advantage in the second set but I let it get away from me," Naratold reporters.
"I some muscle pain during that set and it began to hurt when I served. I'm just disappointed there will be no Japanese players left at the weekend."
In other matches, China's sixth seed Zhang Shuai thrashed American Varvara Lepchenko 6-7, 6-1, 6-3, while Czech Katerina Siniakova overpowered another American, Alison Riske, 6-2, 6-4.
However, seventh seed Christina McHale salvaged some pride for the United States with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 win over Switzerland's Viktorija Golubic to reach the semi-finals.
