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Former World No. 1 Iga Swiatek recently congratulated and wished the best to Misaki Doi, who played the final match of her career at the 2023 Toray Pan Pacific Open on Wednesday (September 27).
Doi, a former World No. 30, announced her retirement last month after spending 17 years on the professional tour.
Doi entered the tournament as a qualifier and had a remarkable run in Tokyo, upsetting Rinko Matsuda in straight sets to qualify for the main draw where she faced Petra Martic and eventually defeated her.
The Japanese faced Maria Sakkari in the second round. However, she could not overcome the Greek, who defeated her 6-3, 6-1 in front of her home crowd in 65 minutes.
Following this, Iga Swiatek, the top seed in the same tournament, praised Misaki Doi for her career achievements.
"Congratulations @MisakiDoiTennis on your career. I wish you all the best in your next chapter 🤗," the Pole wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Maria Sakkari also paid tribute to Doi in the on-court interview after her win, saying:
"I don't want to talk about me today. It was an honour to play against Misaki in her last ever professional match. We know how tough the tennis life is. So take some time, and I'm sure you'll find a way to find something special again in your life. You had an amazing career, so congrats."
Iga Swiatek will face Veronika Kudermetova in the Japan Open quarterfinals
Iga Swiatek will face the eighth seed Veronika Kudermetova in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Japan Open on Friday (September 29).
Swiatek, who has won four Grand Slam singles titles, including three French Open titles, is looking for her fifth title of the season. She defeated Mai Hontama in straight sets in the opening round, having received a bye in the first round.
Kudermetova, who reached a career-high ranking of World No. 9 last year, is aiming for her second WTA title in singles. She defeated Harriet Dart and Kayla Day in straight sets en route to the last eight.
This will be the fifth meeting between Swiatek and Kudermetova, with the former leading the head-to-head record 4-0. They last met in the semifinals of the 2023 Madrid Open, where Swiatek won in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1.
The match is expected to be a contest between two powerful hitters who can dominate from the baseline. Iga Swiatek has an advantage in terms of variety and consistency, while Veronika Kudermetova has an edge in terms of serve and net play.
The winner of the match will face either Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova or Ekaterina Alexandrova in the semifinals.
