Taiwan's 18-year-old tennis player Chang Kai-chen surprisingly knocked out top-ranked Dinara Safina in the second round of the Toray Pan Pacific Open yesterday, making her the first Taiwanese player ever to defeat a No.1 seed.After the match, Chang's father Chang Chin-lai told local media that both he and his daughter were really proud of her performance.
Chang said that he hoped his daughter could continue to advance in the tournament. Chang is currently ranked 132nd in the world.
In yesterday's game, Safina was serving for the match in the third set when she double-faulted to give up a break. Chang then rallied for a 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-5 win to advance to the third round of the US$2 million tournament.
Safina's status as the world's top-ranked player has been under scrutiny, especially after a third-round loss to 72nd-ranked Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic at the U.S. Open.
Opening round
Chang, who defeated Kaia Kanepi of Estonia 6-3, 6-3 in Sunday's opening round, put Safina on the defensive from the outset, breaking the No. 1 seed twice to go up 3-0 in the first set. Safina, who had a first-round bye, rallied to take a 6-5 lead but Chang forced and then won the tiebreaker.
Chang will meet Argentina's Gisela Dulko in the third round.
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