2011 ASB Classic: Yanina Wickmayer cruises to the semis in Auckland
The 21-year-old Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium won her quarterfinal match at the 2011 ASB Classic tournament after brushing aside Simona Halep of Romania in two sets, on Thursday. The final match score was 6-0, 6-2. The battle concluded
in a time period of almost one hour.
The Belgian who won the title here back in 2010, as a result of this victory, has made her way into the semi-final round in Auckland.
Her today’s win over her Romanian opponent not only confirmed her berth in the final four round but also proved her impressive run of form at the moment. Yanina dominated the match right from the start and looked in total control
of her game. She served well and hit with a high degree of confidence against her foe without any question.
Former world number 12 is definitely off to an ideal start to the 2011 season on the tour as she is now just a match short of reaching the title battle.
"This tournament is lucky for me. I played here well last year and I am going for a good run this year. I am really happy about my week. It is nice to play well the first week of the year. From the beginning to the end I was there.
I played my aggressive game today, which did not give her many chances to come into the point,” said the contented Belgian after the match.
The battle in the end turned out to be a one sided affair as the world number 23 Yanina, did not allow her opponent to take charge at any point during the match. Her control, consistency and confidence proved too strong for Halep
in the end.
Yanina posted two victories earlier this week before reaching the quarterfinal round in Auckland. She opened her account by beating former top ranked Dinara Safina, followed by another win over German Sabine Lisicki in three sets.
In Thursday's other game, Shuai Peng of China also confirmed her spot in the semi-final round after dispatching off Heather Watson in two sets. The final match score was 6-4, 7-5.
"I had two tough ones in the first two rounds so a shorter one today definitely gives me some energy for tomorrow," reflected Peng after her victory.
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