The second round of the qualifying draw of Kinoshita Group Japan Open (WTA250) was played on the 10th and the No.1 seed of the qualifying, Elizabeth Mandlik of the United States defeated Haruka Kaji of Japan with the score of 6-1,6-2 and advanced to the main draw. In the first round of the qualifying, Mandlik lost the first set but came from behind to win the match. “ I won a hard-fought match yesterday so I went into today’s match feeling confident. But I knew that she is a good player and all Japanese players fight hard so I was prepared,” she said of today’s win.

Madlik, a 22 year old, is rising quickly in the ranking, having advanced to the 2nd round at the US Open last year after being given a wild card and qualifying into the main draws at the Australian Open and the French Open this year. Her mother is Hana Mandlikova who is a four-time Grand Slam winner having won two Australian, the French and the US Open titles. While her mother who has played in Japan many times likes Japanese breakfast so that she says she would eat it everyday if its available in Florida, Elizabeth says she likes Japanese food but breakfast with “rice and things” needed some getting used to. She seems to be enjoying her first trip to Japan – “It’s all tennis but I like Osaka and the food is great,” she said.

© JTA PR Division