AUCKLAND, New Zealand - Kimiko Date Krumm just keeps on going. Having come out of retirement in 2008, she broke back into the Top 100 after a strong 2009, highlighted by winning the first Sony Ericsson WTA Tour title of her comeback in Seoul. And Wednesday in Auckland she got the first Top 20 win of her comeback, edging Virginie Razzano in three sets, 36 63 62.
Date Krumm, ranked No.69 this week and a wildcard at the ASB Classic, lost the first set but displayed her trademark tenacity to fluster the No.19-ranked, No.5-seeded Razzano, closing her out in a few minutes shy of two hours. The Japanese tennis icon, now 39, had notched four wins over Top 30 players earlier in her comeback, but no Top 20 wins - until upsetting Frenchwoman Razzano.
"When I came back, I didn't have confidence to play against speedy or powerful shots. I needed more practice with Top 100 players," Date Krumm said. "If I keep playing more on the Tour, my eyes and body will get used to it."
Date Krumm's win in Seoul last fall made her the second-oldest player in the Open Era to win a singles title on the Tour, at 38 years, 11 months and 30 days. The oldest is women's tennis legend Billie Jean King, who won Birmingham in 1983 aged 39 years, 7 months and 23 days.
Check out photos from Auckland in the Auckland Gallery!
Razzano wasn't the only seed to fall, with No.6 seed Elena Vesnina and No.7 seed Aravane Rezai also losing. Vesnina went out quietly to Alizé Cornet, 61 61, while Rezai fell to Dominika Cibulkova in a tighter affair, 63 64.
The rest of the seeds in action, namely top seed Flavia Pennetta, No.3 seed Yanina Wickmayer and No.4 seed Francesca Schiavone, all won in straight sets. Shahar Peer and Maria Kirilenko also moved through.
All four quarterfinal matches will take the courts at the ASB Tennis Centre on Thursday, with Pennetta facing Cibulkova, Wickmayer facing Date Krumm, Schiavone facing Cornet and Peer facing Kirilenko.
