Reigning champion Radwanska reaches Pan Pacific Open final

World No. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska moved within a win of becoming the first Pan Pacific Open champion to defend the title in eight years after defeating Angelique Kerber in the semifinals Friday.

Saluting the crowd: World No. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska beats Angelique Kerber 6-1, 6-1 on Friday in the Pan Pacific Open semifinals in Tokyo. KYODO

Radwanska cruised past fifth seed Kerber in 59 minutes, winning 6-1, 6-1. The last player to win the title back to back was Lindsay Davenport in 2003-2004.

In Saturday's final, Radwanska will face surprising Russian veteran Nadia Petrova who beat an injured Samantha Stosur, last season's U.S. Open champion, 6-4, 6-2.

"There were a lot of tight games especially in the end," Radwanska said of her match with Kerber, who reached the last four by default after world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka pulled out.

"She's a big fighter, she never gives up. I think I played a good match today. Everything was working today and I'm happy about that."

Radwanska, a part-time student back in her native Poland, and the 30-year-old Petrova last played each other in 2008, when they met four times with Radwanska winning on three of those occasions.

"She's been playing great tennis this week and played a lot of good tight matches," the 23-year-old Radwanska said of Petrova. "For sure it won't be easy, but I'm just very happy I could reach the final again and will do everything to win the title."

Kerber tried to make a contest out of the match, taking the first game of the second set. But Radwanska — who did not double fault once whereas Kerber had seven — won the next six games to underline her domination.

In the first semifinal at Ariake Tennis Forest Park, Stosur lacked the flair she showed a night earlier when she eliminated Petrova's compatriot Maria Sharapova, going down 6-4, 6-2 to the 17th seed.

Petrova defeated No. 6 Sara Errani in the quarterfinals in three sets despite a bad back, and did not slow down against the ninth-ranked Stosur.

Petrova landed nine aces compared to none by Stosur, who did not convert a single break point.

Petrova reached the Pan Pacific Open final for her first time, and her second final of the season following the UNICEF Open she won in the Netherlands, in June.

"Sam is a tough opponent to play," she said. "She has a strong forehand and likes to dominate the game. With her you have to be alert, you have to play your best and I think I accomplished that today."

Petrova needed treatment on her lower back during her victory over Errani but said it was not an issue against Stosur.

"My back is doing well, I'm very pleased," Petrova said. "Overall at this stage, me and Agnieszka are beaten up already but this is the final. This is the last match of the tournament. You have to give it your best and everything you have left."

Stosur, on the other hand, did have physical issues against Petrova as she suffered an abdominal injury early in the match.

"I did something to myself in the third game of the match and I kind of kept going thinking it would go away but it didn't seem to," Stosur said. "I got some treatment and got it taped up and I was able to keep playing but I guess it's not the ideal situation."

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Fighters widen Pacific League lead

SAPPORO — Taiwan international Yang Dai-kang broke a 2-2 tie with a two-run, seventh-inning single as the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters defeated the Chiba Lotte Marines 5-2 at Sapporo Dome on Wednesday.

The victory, combined with the Seibu Lions' 3-2 loss to the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, increased the Fighters' Pacific League lead to two games. The Marines' defeat dropped them into fifth place, a half-game back of the Eagles.

The Marines tied the game in the top of the sixth on a two-run homer by Toshiaki Imae, but lefty Yuya Ishii (1-1) shut the visitors down in the top of the seventh and the Fighters mounted a rally against right-hander Shingo Ono (2-5) after two were out in the home half of the inning.

Catcher Shota Ono reached on an infield single and No. 9 hitter Makoto Kaneko doubled him to third. The injury-scarred 36-year-old Kaneko then hustled home to score from second as Yang hit the first pitch into center.

"I wasn't looking for a particular pitch," the Fighters All-Star center fielder said after the game in the on-field hero interview. "I just wanted to hit whatever came."

"I owe a debt to Kaneko. His physical condition isn't that good, but he ran hard. If he hadn't done that, I wouldn't be standing here now," he said.

The Marines had a chance to tie it in the ninth against closer Hisashi Takeda, but with two on and one out cleanup hitter Josh Whitesell's bid for a three-run home run was caught in deep center by Yang.

Eagles 3, Lions 2

At Seibu Dome, Tohoku Rakuten's Ginji Akaminai singled in a run apiece in the first and third innings off Seibu starter Kazuhisa Makita (12-8), while right-hander Brandon Duckworth (3-1) allowed two runs in 6? innings to earn the win. The Golden Eagles' victory lifted them into fourth place.

The Lions rallied for a pair of runs, but the second infield single of the game by midseason acquisition Kazuya Fujita drove in a crucial insurance run in the seventh for the Eagles.

Buffaloes 3, Hawks 0

At Kyocera Dome, Orix's Lee Dae Ho belted a two-run homer in the first off Nagisa Arakaki (6-5), while three Buffaloes relievers combined with starter Yuji Maeda (2-2) to complete a nine-hit shutout of Fukuoka Softbank as the hosts snapped a 12-game losing streak.

Maeda allowed four hits and two walks over five innings, while former rotation standout Yoshihisa Hirano struck out five batters over the final two innings to record his seventh save. The Hawks hit into three double plays.

CENTRAL LEAGUE

Swallows 10, Tigers 4

At Jingu Stadium, Yakult's Yuhei Nakamura's three-run double capped a five-run first inning as every Swallows starter had a hit in a rout of Hanshin.

Converted pitcher Yuhei Takai led the hosts with four hits at the top of the order, while southpaw Katsuki Akagawa (8-8) allowed three runs in six-plus innings while driving in a run with a sixth-inning double. Tomoaki Kanemoto hit his 476th career homer for the Tigers in the ninth.

Carp 4, Giants 0

At Mazda Stadium, Hiroshima's Keisuke Imai (3-8) allowed two hits in seven innings and two relievers completed the two-hit shutout. Brad Eldred belted two home runs and drove in three as the Carp defeated Yomiuri.

Second-year Giants right-hander Hirokazu Sawamura (9-10), making his first start since Sept. 4, allowed four runs in 6? innings. The CL's 2011 rookie of the year gave up 10 hits and a walk, while striking out nine.

BayStars 8, Dragons 2

At Nagoya Dome, Yokohama's Tatsuhiko Kinjo belted a three-run, pinch-hit homer and right-hander Kisho Kagami (3-3) allowed two runs in six innings as the BayStars beat Chunichi to extend their unbeaten streak to four games.

Soma Yamauchi (10-7) started for the Dragons, who have already clinched the second seed in the CL playoffs, and allowed three runs in 6? innings to the last-place BayStars.

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Sharapova reaches Pan Pacific quarterfinals

World No. 2 Maria Sharapova staved off a strong challenge from Lucie Safarova to beat her Czech opponent in a straight sets 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) victory on Wednesday to reach the quarterfinals of the Pan Pacific Open.

The career Gram Slam titleholder dominated the first set, but the world 17th-ranked player dug deep in her energy reserves to force a tiebreaker in the second on a balmy day on center court at Ariake Tennis Forest Park.

Sharapova, making her seventh appearance here with titles in 2005 and 2009, rolled out to a 3-0 lead in the second set, but Safarova bounced back and broke the Russian former world No. 1 at triple breakpoint in the fifth game.

The pair played a see-saw battle, tying it twice at 4-4 and 5-5, and Safarova broke Sharapova again in the 11th game before her serve deserted her in the next game to force the extras.

"After winning the first set, and going up 3-0 in the second, I think I became a little frustrated. I thought I had the momentum," said Sharapova, adding that she struggled against the lefty's serve.

"The spin comes from a different direction (than right-handers), and it takes a little longer to get used to. When her serve is on, it can become quite tricky," she said.

Sharapova took a 3-0 lead in the tiebreak, but Safarova rallied to tie it at 4-4. The Russian pulled ahead and served out the match with an ace on the final point to finish in 1 hour, 43 minutes. Sharapova will next face Australian No. 8 seed Samantha Stosur, a 6-4, 7-5 winner over Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova in another third-round match.

Asked her prospects on facing Stosur in the quarterfinals on Thursday, Sharapova said, "I have a good record against her. But she is certainly a solid player; uses a lot of spin. It will be important to keep improving and play at a higher level against her."

Stosur, ranked ninth in the world and making her sixth appearance here, improved to 3-0 for her career against the world 13th-ranked Cibulkova, who played for the fourth time in Tokyo. Stosur broke her opponent three times and saved four out of five break points.

Italy's Sara Errani, the No. 6 seed, took advantage of France's Marion Bartoli's errant service game to rally in a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 win. Ninth-seed Bartoli shot herself down with 12 double faults.

"It was a different environment than I'm used to and a faster surface, so it was harder to play my game. I didn't start well, but from the second set after the first three games, she was more tired and I played a little better," said Errani.

Russian Nadia Petrova, the 17th seed, outlasted Croat Petra Martic 7-6 (7-2), 6-7 (1-7), 6-4 to reach the final eight.

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Race for Pacific League crown likely going down to wire

The Yomiuri Giants wrapped up the Central League pennant last week.

One giant leap: Toshiya Sugiuchi helped Yomiuri capture the CL pennant in his first year with the team. KYODO

Now the spotlight shifts to the Pacific League race, which is getting tighter by the day.

Entering this week, there are three teams — the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, Seibu Lions and Fukuoka Softbank Hawks — with realistic aspirations of winning the title.

The Fighters beat the Lions 6-2 on Sunday to take a 1?-game lead over Seibu at the top of the standings with the Hawks 3? games further back.

With the number of remaining games dwindling, each team will need to make its push for the title quickly.

The Hawks open the week against the fourth-place Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in Sendai on Monday, before two games with the last-place Orix Buffaloes beginning Tuesday.

The Hawks host the Eagles Saturday and the Fighters Sunday, then play road games against those teams Oct. 2 and 3. Softbank, which had its game against the Eagles rained out Sunday, finishes the year with a pair of games against Orix.

The Lions face the Eagles at Seibu Dome Sept. 25-27 then travel to face the Fighters Sept. 28-29, and end the month at home against Orix.

Seibu then has home games scheduled against the Chiba Lotte Marines Oct. 1-2; a road series with the Eagles Oct. 3-4; then ends the year with a home game against Lotte and a road tilt against Orix Oct. 7.

Seibu also has more games remaining (three) than both the Fighters and Hawks.

The Fighters, meanwhile, host the Marines for three games prior to the aforementioned series against the Lions.

The team then travels to Fukuoka to face the Hawks Sept 30, and meets Softbank again Oct. 3 in Sapporo.

Nippon Ham hosts the Eagles Oct. 5 before ending the season on Oct. 9 in Chiba.

That familiar feeling: For most of the Yomiuri Giants, it had been three years since they'd celebrated winning a pennant. A few of them experienced it for the first time on Friday, when the team clinched the Central League title.

That, however, wasn't the case for pitchers Toshiya Sugiuchi and D.J. Houlton. That duo has now won a title in three consecutive years.

Sugiuchi and Houlton helped the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks win the Pacific League pennant in 2010 and 2011, before moving to Yomiuri as free agents.

"This the best feeling," Sugiuchi told Nikkan Sports during the Giants' celebration Friday night. "I want to do my best to help win during the Climax Series. This is not the ultimate goal. There is more to achieve."

All together since 2009, Sugiuchi and Houlton are a combined 74-37 and have helped win three league titles, two interleague crowns and one, so far, Japan Series championship.

Letdown: The Yomiuri Giants captured the pennant Friday night and partied hard, emptying 3,000 bottles of beer in the process.

A day game the next day smelled like a recipe for disaster. It was, and the Giants were routed 9-3 by the Yakult Swallows the next day.

New low: The Hanshin Tigers fell 2-0 to the Chunichi Dragons at home on Saturday. That loss dropped Hanshin to 50-70-14 for the season, the first time in 11 seasons that the Tigers have been 20 games below .500.

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Morita advances Pan Pacific Open

Japanese wildcard Ayumi Morita pulled off a dramatic three-set victory over Sorana Cirstea of Romania to reach the second round of the Pan Pacific Open on Sunday.

On a rainy and dreary day at Tokyo's Ariake Tennis Forest Park where only the retractable roof-covered center court was left open for play, Morita brightened the home crowd with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 win over the 30th-ranked Cirstea.

It was the first time Morita had beaten the Romanian in three meetings, dating back to Birmingham in 2008. The 22-year-old will face world No. 6 Angelique Kerber of Germany, the fifth seed, in her next match.

"Today I was really able to play without the bad parts of my game coming out," said Morita. "I was very aggressive and this really helps with my confidence."

Morita, who had been struggling with lower back and right shoulder injuries as of late, dominated to break Cirstea twice in the first set before running into problems with the Romanian's speedy serves in the second.

But frustration began to set in for Cirstea, who challenged the chair umpire's decision on what she thought was an ace but lost before Morita broke to go up 2-0 in the third set, and she later slammed her racket to the court after sending a forehand into the net as the Japanese went ahead 3-0.

Cirstea came back from a 3-0 deficit to win the fourth and sixth games, but Morita was too quick on the baseline and more composed, holding serve in the seventh game and breaking again in the eighth as she finished off her opponent with a backhand cross volley.

Asked about the condition of her back, which she first injured during the U.S. Open, Morita said the injury is getting better day by day.

"Today I didn't feel any pain at all, and I think that the condition is improving. Of course I have to continue with rehab, but no problems."

In the day's first match 14th-seed Roberta Vinci of Italy outlasted Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 6-4, 4-6, 7-5, while 12th seed Dominika Cibulova of Slovakia defeated Spain's Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) in the second match.

Former world No. 1 Jelena Jankovic of Serbia came back from a break down in the second set to beat Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium 6-3, 6-3.

World No. 2 Maria Sharapova, who won the Pan Pacific title in 2005 and 2009, has a bye into the second round as the second seed here.

"This place brings back so many memories. It's where I won some of my first big titles and one of my favorite stops of the year. Last year, it was sad to leave with an injury (left ankle), but I'm back this year in good form," Sharapova said.

World No. 1 and top seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, who won this year's Australian Open and a gold medal in mixed doubles at the London Olympics, said her main focus is to remain at the top of the WTA rankings as long as possible.

"I feel like without winning titles you can't remain No. 1. The ranking itself will only follow with my results," she said.

Noticeably missing from this year's tournament is world No. 4 Serena Williams, who won this year's U.S. Open women's singles and a gold medal at the London Games.

Kimiko Date-Krumm, who won the event back in 1995 and turns 42 on Thursday, will play Monday along with Japanese qualifier Kurumi Nara. Eighteen of the top 20 players in the latest world rankings are competing at the Tokyo meet.

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Lions pounce at right time to take control of Pacific League

All season the Seibu Lions have put the 'cats have nine lives' theory to the test, and so far the Pacific League's resident felines are still kicking.

On June 4, the Lions were 19-27-1 and in last place, 11 games behind the first place Chiba Lotte Marines, with an awful offense and a pitching staff that was somehow even worse.

Today, those same Lions are atop the standings with a shot at completing a run from basement to penthouse in the PL. The Lions have already pulled off one unlikely feat, becoming the fifth team to reach first place after being nine games below .500 at one point during a season, according to Nikkan Sports.

Seibu's rise hasn't come without a few breaks. The Marines aided their own demise with bad pitching, falling from first to fourth. Likewise, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, second for much of the year, began losing games that had broken their way earlier in the season.

Not that the Lions haven't done their part.

Seibu entered June 17-26-1 with a minus-21 run differential. Since then, the Lions are 42-21-7 (the Marines are 26-36-8 and the Fighters 32-30-7 over that span) and have a plus-36 run differential. Offensively, the Lions have hit more home runs and have been more active on the base paths — the team registered 38 stolen bases in July and August after stealing 38 from March 30 to June 30 combined — to help put themselves in better position to generate runs.

While Seibu's pitching had been atrocious, the problem was compounded by an ineffective offense that gave the pitching staff little margin for error. The Lions hit .212 and .246 in the first two months of the season before hitting .288 in June and .267 in July, a slight uptick that coincided with their climb up the standings. The team slumped to .256 in August, but made their hits count with a season-high 21 homers and 102 runs during the month.

Hiroyuki Nakajima is having an MVP-caliber year, hitting .324 with 12 home runs, 63 RBIs and an .869 on-base plus slugging percentage, while Takeya Nakamura, now leading the PL with 22 home runs, is knocking the ball out of the park with a little more frequency, helping pace an attack that's doing just enough, though the recent loss of Takumi Kuriyama to injury is a concern.

Right-hander Ryoma Nogami has been a revelation on the mound, going 6-0 in nine starts since his last loss June 27, Kazuhisa Ishii and Takayuki Kishi have also turned in a few good performances, while Opening Day starter Hideaki Wakui has shaken off a horrendous beginning to the season and an unnecessary public shaming — over his extracurricular activities with a hostess — to emerge as the solution at the back of the bullpen with 18 saves, a win and three holds in 32 appearances since returning from a suspension on June 22.

In the pennant race, the Lions still have five games left with the second-placed Fighters, six with the third-place Hawks and five with the Marines. They'll also have to be mindful of Tohoku Rakuten and Orix in spoiler roles.

No team has ever been nine games below .500, rallied into first place and hung on to win the pennant. This year's PL race looks set to go down to the wire, but if we've learned anything so far, it's that there's a lot of life left in these Lions.

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