2011 Mutua Madrid Open: Julia Goerges vs. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova – Quarterfinal Preview
German tennis-pro Julia Goerges is all set to face Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia in the first quarterfinal of 2011 Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open in Spain.
Goerges has looked to be in fabulous touch here at the red clay courts of Madrid. In her opening match at the Women’s Tennis Association tournament she came back from behind against Estonian Kaia Kanepi 6-7(3), 6-1, 6-4. She then ousted former world number one Dinara Safina in the second round play. But her most significant performance was recorded in the third round where she stunned reigning world number one, Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.
Goerges seems to have a special liking for the clay surface. Just over a week ago she lifted second WTA title of her career at Stuttgart defeating Caroline Wozniacki in the final. Downing world number one player twice in space of ten days will certainly give her confidence in her game play and abilities. Although Goerges had a poor start to the season, she came back strongly and gave considerable results at BNP Paribas Open and Charleston. The 22-year-old will be hoping to put up another impressive here at Madrid Open to claim her third career title.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on the other hand booked quarterfinal berth at the competition with a thumping 7-6 (4), 6-3 victory over Australian Samantha Stosur. Prior to that she ousted French Marion Bartoli in the second round play and made quick work of Chinese Jie Zhang in the first round.
The 19-year-old is a fresh face on the WTA circuit and has given considerable results on the tour since she turned professional. Ranked 21st in the world, Pavlyuchenkova started the year with a semi-final appearance at Brisbane International. At the Australian Open she reached the third round to gain valuable ranking points. The Russian claimed her third WTA career title at Monterrey Open and improve her WTA ranking significantly. However since then she has not able to find her peak form as she was thrashed at BNP Paribas Open and Sony Ericsson Open. Even though she is considered to be hard-court specialist, she has played quite brilliantly here on the red surface in Madrid.
Both players are equally matched and are extremely skillful. Pavlyuchenkova has a better backhand shot and a superior serve which can cause all sorts of problems for the German. Goerges’ playing style suits the clay court surface as both of her WTA titles have come on the same surface. She will be looking to stick to her strengths and reduce her unforced errors to reach the semis of the prestigious WTA tournament.
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