2011 Family Circle Cup: Zheng Jie, Jill Craybas proceed to the second round
Zheng Jie undoes Monica Puig 3-6, 7-6(10), 7-5
Chinese tennis player Zheng Jie made a surprising recovery from a set down to defeat qualifier Monica Puig of Puerto Rico, winning her opening match at the 2011 Family Circle Cup in three sets 3-6, 7-6(10), 7-5. It took the
Chinese pro over three hours to win the closely contested match.
Jie is currently ranked World Number 52. The player is 27 years old, and has been playing on the Women’s Tennis Association circuit since 2003. She is right-handed, and has won three career titles to date. The player is known
for last minute recoveries such as the one she executed in this match. Puig, on the other hand, is an almost entirely unknown entity. She has not yet officially turned pro and is currently ranked World Number 381. The player hails from Puerto Rico and is only
17 years old.
The match was an extremely intense one, with both players rallying back and forth throughout the meeting. Peng scored two aces during the match, and won the first set to put Jie in a difficult position. However, the Chinese
pro recovered in the next two sets and gave Puig a run for her money in the next two sets, both of which ran into tie-breakers. She won the match from a set down 3-6, 7-6(10), 7-5.
Zheng Jie will now compete against sixth seed Yanina Wickmayer, who received a bye in the first round of the tournament.
Jill Craybas defeats Shelby Rogers 3-6, 6-2, 6-0
American tennis pro Jill Craybas recorded the third set-down victory in the first round of the 2011 Family Circle Cup by defeating compatriot Shelby Rogers in three sets 3-6, 6-2, 6-0. She took one hour and forty-one minutes
to achieve this victory.
Craybas is one of the older players on the Women’s Tennis Association, and is currently ranked World Number 110. She is 36 years old, and has been playing in a professional capacity since 1996. She has won one WTA career
title so far during her career. Shelby Rogers, meanwhile, is just 18 years old and is currently ranked World Number 335. She is right-handed, and only recently turned pro.
Rogers managed to score three aces during the match, while Craybas scored two. Both players committed four double faults apiece. In addition to this, Rogers could not save five of eight break points while Craybas managed
to defend herself against seven of nine.
Ultimately, Jill Craybas won her first round match by taking 56 per cent of the total points in the match. She will now face Chanelle Scheepers of Republic of South Africa in the second round of the 2011 Family Circle Cup.
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