World No.8 Samantha Stosur won her first WTA singles title last year at the HP Open in Osaka and this year she won her first two matches with the score 6-0 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals of the $220,000 tournament.
The top-seeded Stosur defeated wildcard Sachie Ishizu in the first round and on Wednesday she beat another Japanese, Junri Namigata, firing three straight aces at one point in the match.
Stosur, who also won an ITF title in Osaka in 2001, is now 7-0 at the HP Open and will next face her third Japanese opponent in a row, either sixth seed Kimiko Daet Krumm or wildcard Aiko Nakamura. (photo: chascow)
