2011 BMW Malaysian Open: Safina, Krajicek score straight-sets victories in the first round
Dinara Safina ousts Xinyun Han 6-2, 6-0
Former World Number 1 Dinara Safina, currently ranked World Number 113, scored an easy victory over World Number 125 Xinyun Han in the first round of the 2011 BMW Malaysian Open. Safina, who is 24 years old, took under an hour to undo her 20-year-old
opponent in straight sets 6-2, 6-0.
Safina, who holds twelve WTA career titles, scored one ace in the first set and converted four of seven break points to take the lead in the opening round. Chinese tennis pro Han broke her twice, but was unable to keep up the performance; she lost
the first set of the match 6-2 after winning just 18 of 50 points.
The second round was an even swifter victory for Safina, who ousted her Chinese opponent without giving her the opportunity to win a single game. The Russian pro broke Han thrice and scored an ace without facing any break points to win a whopping 71
percent of the total points in the set. She won the match 6-2, 6-0.
Dinara Safina will now face fifth seed Lucie Safarova in the second round, after Safarova’s straight-sets victory over Kazakhstan’s Zarina Diyas.
Michaella Krajicek defeats Tatjana Malek 6-3, 6-2
World Number 150 Michaella Krajicek of The Netherlands scored an easy victory over World Number 144 Tatjana Malek, defeating her 23-year-old opponent in straight sets 6-3, 6-2. The Dutch player, who is 22 years old, took less than an hour and ten minutes
to reserve a second-round spot for herself at the 2011 BMW Malaysian Open.
Krajicek and Malek seemed to be evenly matched when the first set began, with Krajicek scoring just one ace more than her German opponent. However, Krajicek quickly shot ahead, challenging Malek to six break points and successfully converting one of
them. She herself did not face any break points in the first set. The player committed one double fault, but was aided by two double faults on Malek’s part. In addition to this, she scored on 60 percent of her first serves. Krajicek won the match’s first set
easily, scoring nine points more than her opponent to set up a 6-3 scoreline.
The second round was even easier for the Dutch player, who has been part of the Women’s Tennis Association [WTA] since 2003. She stormed into the set to score two aces and no double faults, along with one saved break point. The right-handed pro also
broke Malek twice in this set. She played with her signature aggressive style, driving Malek to the limits of her skill over and over again. By the end of the set, she had scored 27 of a total of 46 points in the set.
This is Krajicek’s third victory over Malek, whom she has confronted twice before. The former World Number 30 will now be competing against unseeded local player Noppawan Lertcheewakarn, who defeated Italian World Number 100 Alberta Brianti in three
sets in her first round match.
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