Hutchins & Kerr fought hard to overcome Christopher Kass (GER) and Jaroslav Levinsky (CZE) ultimately winning 6-3, 3-6, 10-7.
Having eased into the semi-finals with a relatively straightforward 6-2, 6-3 win over the Japanese wildcard pairing of Kondo and Soeda they had to fight hard to reach the final.
Ross Hutchins was clearly delighted as he said:
“ It feels great to be in my first final of 2009 especially with it being a big event here in Asia. I love playing out here and my form has been good the past month after a tough middle of the year.”
Having been through a few matches recently where he didn’t feel he played to his best he hasn’t allowed that to affect him, as he says:
“I stayed positive and knew that good results would come and I'm very pleased so far this week…now there is one more to go!”.
Ross has seen his ranking climb this year which has been on the basis of some solid displays, this final though is his first in 2009 and sees him and Kerr face Julian Knowle and Jurgen Melzer the Austrian pairing who Hutchins and Jamie Murray lost to in the Davis Cup at Wimbledon in 2008.
It will be a competitive match and one which they are looking forward Hutchins also then: “looking forward to the rest of the season and I have strong ambitions for 2010”.
Elsewhere in Tokyo, Katie O’Brien has gone out in the semi-finals of the $100k women’s event to Olga Savchuk (UKR) 6-3, 4-6, 6-7 (4). Katie is currently at a career high of 98 and reaching the semi-finals of this event will help her consolidate her position in the top 100 as she looks to build on her momentum for the rest of the season.
In Australia Jamie Baker continues his recent impressive form as he makes his comeback from long-term injury and is into the final of $15k in Happy Valley.
Baker completed a 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 win over the second seed John Millman (AUS), he will now face another Australian in Robert Smeets (5) in the tomorrows final.
At the AEGON Pro-Series in Barnstaple Lisa Whybourn was unable to progress into the semi-finals going down 2-6, 3-6 to Sofia Arvidsson (SWE). It has been a great week for Lisa however who was given a wildcard into the event and her recent on-court success will be rewarded with her first WTA ranking points on Monday.
In the doubles event Laura Robson and Heather Watson, who beat the fellow British pairing of Sarah Borwell and Mel South in the first round were unable to progress past Anna Gerasimou (GRE) and Katalin Marosi (HUN) eventually going down 3-6, 7-5, [2-10].
Read more about Lisa Whybourns’ week.