Karolina Pliskova advances at Pan Pacific Open

TOKYO (AP) — Seventh-seeded Karolina Pliskova has cruised past Isabella Shinikova 6-2, 6-1 in the first round of the Pan Pacific Open. In other early matches played under a closed roof as the tail end of Typhoon Nanmadol passed through Tokyo, Mexican qualifier Fernanda Contreras Gomez overcame 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin 7-6 (7), 6-4, and China’s Zhang Shuai beat Japanese wild-card entry Mai Hontama 6-0, 6-3. Former world No. 1 Pliskova, who was the champion in Tokyo four years ago, had little trouble against the inconsistent Shinikova. The Czech player said she was back on form after sustaining a broken arm at the start of the year.