2011 Cellular South Cup: Oudin defeats Pivovarova in straight sets
American tennis player Melanie Oudin has qualified for the second round of the 2011 Cellular South Cup, with a straight set 6-4, 6-0 victory over Russian pro Anastasia Pivovarova.
Third seed Oudin took just under an hour to eliminate her opponent, who seemed to be in exceptionally poor form throughout the match.
Oudin, one of the few seeded players who has made it through the first round, is delighted with her victory.
“It’s crazy with all the seeds falling. It doesn’t really matter. It’s nice that I’m seeded, but anyone can really beat anyone. But I'm happy to be one of the seeds that got through,” she said.
The first set of the match lasted ten games. Oudin converted both of her break points successfully, although she also lost one to Pivovarova. The two players played five return and service games apiece. Oudin managed to win 54 percent of a total of 59 points during the set.
The second set was complete annihilation for Pivovarova, who was unable to take more than seven points. She was also challenged to four break points, and only managed to save one of them. Oudin took away an impressive 77 percent of 31 points, and won the match 6-0 with a bagel.
Oudin commented on her performance after the match, saying that her strategy had involved tiring Pivovarova out in the first set. However, she added that she did face some difficulty in the beginning, saying, “On some of her serves, I was missing only by a little on returns. If I could just get the return back and get in the point, that was what I wanted. I wanted to get in the points with her and make her run. Most of the time when I made her run, I'd win the point.”
The American, who also plays for the Fed Cup team, is currently World Number 72. She is one of the youngest players in the Women’s Tennis Association [WTA] Top 100, and turned pro in 2008. Pivovarova on the other hand, is Number 120. She turned pro in 2007, and is expected to break into the Top 100 within the year if her performance remains consistent.
Oudin has taken part in seven matches so far this season, and this is her second win of the year. Pivovarova has played ten matches, with this defeat being her fourth loss.
Melanie Oudin will now compete against Russian pro Evgeniya Rodina, who managed to defeat Croatian tennis pro Ajla Tomljanovic in three exhausting sets 1-6, 6-0, 7-6(5).
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