Tennis: Raonic and Nishikori cut down Murray and Baghdatis at Japan Open
News On Japan via thesportreview.com -- Oct 06
Two of the rising stars of the men's tour, 21-year-old Milos Raonic and 22-year-old Kei Nishikori continued their David and Goliath antics in Tokyo to set up an intriguing final at the Japan Open in Tokyo.
Following home hero Nishikori's dispatch of the No2 seed Tomas Berdych in the quarter-finals, Raonic put out the top seed, Andy Murray, in the semis.
Although Canadian Raonic is far from David-like in proportions-his 6ft 5in frame and huge-serving game make him a giant of a challenge-he stood toe-to-toe with the US Open and Olympic gold medal winner, and it was Murray who had won their last encounter, in New York in straight sets.
But on this occasion, Raonic showed just why he has been tipped for great things since he burst into the top 100 last year. Despite hip surgery 15 months ago, he continued his impressive rise in 2012, via two titles, to No15 and a win here would keep alive his hopes of qualifying for the World Tour Finals.
Saitama and Okayama prefectural police last week arrested the manager of an online porn DVD operation that specialized in films featuring children. (Tokyo Reporter)
A 24-year-old woman was in a serious condition Friday after being stabbed by a man whom she reported to police for stalking her in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture. (Japan Today )
China's television regulator has ordered a crackdown on dramas about the country's battles with Japan during and before World War Two and demanded they be more serious, state media said on Friday, following viewer complaints about ludicrous storylines. (Reuters )
Police said Friday they have found four dead bodies in an apartment in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, in what is believed to have been a family murder-suicide. (Japan Today )
Shukan Post (May 24) conveys the difficulties experienced by other parts of the adult-entertainment biz in servicing customers from the communist nation.
A deri heru (“delivery health”) call-girl tells the tabloid that she is often requested to arrive at major hotels in the Shinjuku and Ikebukuro entertainment areas of Tokyo by Chinese visitors. (Tokyo Reporter)