TOKYO — Top seed Carla Suarez Navarro suffered a first-round exit Tuesday from the Japan Women's Open, beaten 4-6, 4-6 by the world's 85th ranked Kateryna Bondarenko from Ukraine. The Spaniard, ranked 12th in the world, has struggled since the early summer to find her rhythm. Suarez Navarro has not won a match since Birmingham in June and lost in the opening round of Wimbledon and the US Open to significantly lower-ranked players. Second seed Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan managed a smooth 6-4, 6-4 victory over Dutch player Kiki Bertens. Chinese hopeful Zheng Saisai beat American fourth seed Alison Riske 0-6, 6-4, 6-1. Fifth seed Johanna Larsson of Sweden struggled early in her match against China's Wang Qiang, but managed a 0-6, 6-3, 6-3 win. Irina Falconi of the US rallied for a 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 win over Naomi Osaka of Japan. On Monday, Japan's Kimiko Date-Krumm rolled back the years to thrash countrywoman Misaki Doi 6-4, 6-2 to reach the second round. The former world No. 4, who turns 45 this month, needed just 79 minutes to see off Doi in windy conditions in Tokyo, setting up a clash with Croatian Ajla Tomljanovic in the last 16. Tomljanovic, the seventh seed, survived a scare to beat Hungary's Timea Babos 3-6, 6-4, 7-6. In other first-round matches Monday, third seed Madison Brengle safely advanced, overpowering Germany's Anna-Lena Friedsam 6-3, 6-1 while fellow American Christina McHale, seeded sixth, beat Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva 6-3, 7-5. Belgium's Yanina Wickmayer, a former US Open semifinalist, also made it into the last 16 with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Czech Katerina Siniakova. — Agencies
