PAN PACIFIC OPEN > TOKYO > HARD > TIER 1 > R32

Would anyone have forecast a 6-2 6-2 victory over Maria Kirilenko today? Well if recent form be the benchmark, the odds on Marion continuing such a convincing trend over fellow top 20, top 30 , and also top 10 players, is surely shortening by the month.

After an hour’s rain delay, Marion showed her impatience to press on with the match by digging out a superbe break from 40-15 down, for a 3-1 lead. This laid the groundwork for the remainder of the set. From this juncture the match was largely one way traffic - Marion breaking the Kirilenko serve to 15 to win the first set 6-2.

Despite the fact Marion’s first serve was down in the mid forties, she was winning well over 90% of the points on her first serve until the tail end of the match.

Marion was flying away with 2nd set, up 4-0, until a little bit of a nervous finish.

With a game which marked the Russians first and only break point of the match, Kirilenko inexplicably broke to love, and held for 4-2.

However exactly as her first round match at US Open, Marion took all five of her break points throughout the match. The final break point being matchpoint. Marion sealed the 2nd the set 6-2, and thus the match.

In recent interviews both Marion and her father have spoken of their satisfaction with her game at the moment. Since June, great results like this one show that they not only talk the talk, but walk the walk.

Marion meets Agnieszka Radwanska in the next round. The top 10 newbie has a 2-0 lead in the head to head. Marion let a win over Radwanska slip from her grasp in the Eastbourne semi on grass.

We hope for a winning outcome for Marion this time. Well done Marion and good luck!