Top seed Iga Swiatek will take on Japanese qualifier Mai Hontama in the second round of the Toray Pan Pacific Open. The match will be played on Wednesday, September 27, 2023.

Iga Swiatek will make her debut appearance at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. She committed to play this event a few weeks ago, which explains why she gave the Guadalajara Open amiss this past week. Swiatek’s bid to reclaim the World No. 1 which she relinquished at the US Open will begin this week. The Polish star had hoarded top spot for 75 consecutive weeks since Ashleigh Barty shockingly retired from the sport early last year. Swiatek has done a commendable job in that regard, but she is determined to return to the summit again.

Her opponent to kick things off at this year’s Asian swing will be home player Mai Hontama. The 24-year-old is ranked inside the world’s Top 150 (148th) and came through the qualifying rounds very convincingly. Hontama won her opening match on Monday, beating her experienced compatriot Nao Hibino 6-2, 6-4. It was her fourth main draw win at Tour level – the most she has garnered in a single season. Can she pull off the upset of the tournament?

Hontama is a talented player and scored some very good wins coming into this tournament. But playing Iga Swiatek is a completely different proposition. The Polish star is aiming for a strong finish to the season after her unsuccessful title defense in New York. Having watched Hontama play in Osaka, her baseline game is still in the works and Swiatek should easily break her serve at least two times in each set. The under 16.5 games at evens is very tempting, and we’ll stick with that. Back the Pole to make a perfect start to her Tokyo campaign.