One day short of her 40th birthday, Kimiko Date Krumm has started the Pan Pacific Open off with a bang, shocking Maria Sharapova 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 Monday in Monday’s first round.
“To play against a former World No. 1 and defending champion, I knew I had to play to the best of my ability,” said Date Krumm, who returned to competitive tennis in 2008 after a 12-year layoff.
Sharapova was 18 months old when Krumm made her professional debut in 1988.
Krumm broke the 23-year-old Sharapova’s serve to go up 5-3 in the third set then took the title home. Sharapova was the 12th seed in the tournament and committed 11 double faults. It’s the first time Sharapova’s fallen in the first round of a tournament since Madrid in May.
In second-round matches on Monday, Jelena Jankovic defeated Alona Bondarenko. Jankovic is the third seed. Sixth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska blew past Olga Govortsova 6-2, 6-3.
