Tokyo - Playing through an earthquake, sixth-seeded Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia has beaten Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium 6-1, 6-3 on Tuesday and advanced to the second round of the Pan Pacific Open.
During the last game of the match, an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.6 hit an area north of Tokyo.
The earthquake was felt by the players.
Cibulkova held all eight of her service games while saving four break points at Ariake Coliseum. She will next play Coco Vandeweghe of the United States, who rallied from 4-2 down in the second set to beat Russian qualifier Alla Kudryavtseva 6-2, 7-5.
Also, Marina Erakovic of New Zealand beat fifth-seeded Sara Errani of Italy 6-4, 6-1, eighth-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain defeated Kurumi Nara of Japan 6-1, 2-6, 6-2, and Victoria Azarenka of Belarus rallied to beat Japanese veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm 3-6, 6-0, 6-2.
Jarmila Gajdosova of Australia and Daria Gavrilova of Russia also advanced.
Results from the WTA Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo on Tuesday (x denotes seeding):
Singles first round
Coco Vandeweghe (USA) bt Alla Kudryavtseva (RUS) 6-2, 7-5
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK x6) bt Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) 6-1, 6-3
Victoria Azarenka (BLR) bt Kimiko Date Krumm (JPN) 3-6, 6-0, 6-2
Casey Dellacqua (AUS) bt Sabine Lisicki (GER) 6-7 (5/7), 7-5, 6-2
Carla Suarez (ESP x8) bt Kurumi Nara (JPN) 6-1, 2-6, 6-2
Daria Gavrilova (RUS) bt Lauren Davis (USA) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
Jarmila Gajdosova (AUS) bt Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) 6-2, 5-7, 7-5
Marina Erakovic (NZL) bt Sara Errani (ITA x5) 6-4, 6-1