Tennis in the autumn – those months between the end of the US Open and the year-end championships – can feel like the doldrums.  It is unlikely that that particular perception will ever be completely changed, but a select number of events on both tours allow the sport to at least coast rather than sputter to its conclusion. 

One of those select events is the WTA Premier Five tournament in Tokyo known as the Toray Pan Pacific Open.  Almost every year, it boasts a stellar field, and 2013 has been no exception to this trend.  Victoria Azarenka, Agniezska Radwanska, Venus Wiliams, Sara Errani, Caroline Wozniacki, and Sloane Stephens among others were all in the field this year.  There was no shortage of intriguing subplots either.  Azarenka lost her opener to Williams, Wozniacki was the only top-four seed to actually reach the semifinals, and Canadian young gun Eugenie Bouchard continued to show promise with her run to the quarterfinals, which included wins over Stephens and former No. 1 Jelena Jankovic.  But it is the four semifinalists, and what this event could mean for them, that comprise the central story in the Japanese capital. 

Arguably the most feel-good story among the four semifinalists, and of the week for that matter, has been that of Venus Williams.  Outside of a final four showing at the prestigious Charleston event earlier this spring, 2013 has been a year to forget for the elder of the Williams sisters.  She has struggled just to compete, and more often than not, she has suffered an early exit when she has.  But that changed this week in Tokyo.  The American was able to take advantage of Azarenka’s illness-depleted condition to blaze a path to the semifinals, collecting impressive wins over an in-form Simona Halep and Bouchard.  Granted, Williams’ run to the semifinals is more likely a case of her catching lightning in a bottle than a signal of her potentially making any sort of return to her glory days, but that does not make this present resurgence any less compelling.

Something similar could be said for Williams’ semifinal opponent, Petra Kvitova.  The Czech is loaded with talent.  Unfortunately, she frequently has trouble harnessing that talent, and her results over the last twelve months reflect those struggles.  Outside of the title she bagged in Dubai earlier this year, she has made very few finals appearances at significant events.  That is what makes her semifinalist appearance this week in Tokyo all the more important.  A deep run here, continuing with a victory over Williams tonight, could provide the confidence to help her rediscover the form that took her to the 2011 Wimbledon title.

Opposite Williams and Kvitova in the bottom half of the draw are two other women also looking to get their games back on track and grab some momentum heading into the end of the year.  The higher ranked of the two is Wozniacki, a former No. 1 who has endured a lackluster season overall outside a final at the Premier Mandatory tournament in Indian Wells.  Wozniacki has done well to keep her career from careening in a downward spiral since falling off her perch atop the rankings, but as the months go by her star seems to fade ever more.  Walking away with her biggest title since she held No. 1, however, would go a long way towards upping her stock value as 2013 closes.

Wozniacki’s semifinal opponent will be Angelique Kerber.  Of the four semifinalists, Kerber is apt to be the least familiar to the general sports fan.  That is because she virtually came out of nowhere late in 2011 and proved herself a contender by continuing those strong results through the majority of 2012.  But the German lefty has been a shadow of that player in 2013, lacking any titles or notable victories.  One gets the sense, however, that Kerber is perhaps more of a confidence player than most.  As with Kvitova, a strong effort in Tokyo might cause her to believe again that she can compete with the game’s best.

With so much on the line, with the chance of redemption at hand, which two women will seize the chance to carry their success a step further by reaching the final?  Both semifinals feature matchups of players who possess similar styles, with Williams and Kvitova bringing massive firepower, while Wozniacki and Kerber will showcase suffocating court coverage.  Both matches also feature combatants that are locked in their respective head-to-heads, with Kvitova and Venus locked at 1-1, and Wozniacki and Kerber at 3-3.  In short, there is little to choose between the players in each of these semifinals. 

In the end, as it so often does, it will all come down to who handles the nerves and the situation better.  All four semifinalists know what this could mean not just for the remainder of the season, but more importantly for 2014.  None of the four women, each of whom has tasted success at the highest level, will be satisfied with bowing out in the semifinals when this Premier Five title lies so close within reach.