Japan’s Date bows out in tears after ‘double bagel’
tokyo — Japan’s Kimiko Date, the grande dame of women’s tennis, bowed out of the sport after being thrashed 6-0, 6-0 by Aleksandra Krunic at the Japan Women’s Open on Tuesday.
The former world number four, who turns 47 later this month, was simply no match for a Serbian opponent who at 24 is young enough to be Date’s daughter.
Krunic took just 49 minutes to inflict the dreaded “double bagel” on Date in a lop-sided first round encounter in Tokyo.
Date tried gamely to mix up her shots in the second set but to no avail as Krunic, ranked 67th in the world, blasted winners past her at will.
Krunic continued to swing away from the baseline and put the former Wimbledon semi-finalist out of her misery with a huge forehand which Date could only dump into the net.
“It’s finally over,” a tearful Date told fans, many of whom were sobbing themselves.
“I feel sad mostly I guess but also really grateful for what tennis has given me,” added the eight-time WTA Tour singles champion, who took a 12-year hiatus from professional tennis after quitting at the peak of her powers in 1996.
Date, a wiry 1.63 metres (5ft 4in), underwent two knee surgeries since appearing at the 2016 Australian Open, but defied the odds to return to action in May this year.
The Kyoto native has also been nursing a sore shoulder and it showed against Krunic.
Date, whose game is a throwback to a time when tennis was more about lobs, dinks and clever use of spin than power-hitting, showed brief glimpses of her former pomp.
But she lacked the power to trouble Krunic, who after embracing Date told her she had started the match as a nervous wreck. — AFP