“Ukrainka and Makoto Ninomiya lost to Kristina Mladenovych and Taylor Townsend”, — write: sport.ua
In the semi-finals, the Ukrainian and her partner Makoto Ninomiya (Japan) played against the second seeded tandem Kristina Mladenovych (France) / Taylor Townsend (USA).
This was the first meeting of the duo. Kichenok and Ninomiya lost in two sets – 5:7, 4:6. The game lasted 1 hour 23 minutes.
The winners of the showdown will face Storm Hunter (Australia) and Desiree Krawczyk (USA) in the final, who went through to the decider without a fight as the pair of Anne Lee and Katie McNally (USA) withdrew before the semi-finals.
Kichenok and Ninomiya broke a 10-match winning streak at WTA tournaments. The series lasted from July 2025. During this time, the tandem won tournaments in Hamburg and Prague.
WTA 250. Osaka (Japan). Even digit. Semifinal
Nadia Kichenok (Ukraine) / Makoto Ninomiya (Japan) – Kristina Mladenovych (France) / Taylor Townsend (USA) [2] – 5:7, 4:6
Tournament grid
Japan’s Makoto Ninomiya 🇯🇵and Ukraine’s Nadia Kichenok 🇺🇦fell short in the semifinals at the WTA 250 Japan Open, going down 5-7, 4-6 to second seeds Kristina Mladenovic of France 🇫🇷and Taylor Townsend of the United States🇺🇲. pic.twitter.com/txZvl4Mras
— Asian Tennis Federation (@asian_tennis) October 17, 2025