2011 Open GDF Suez 2nd round: Kanepi defeats Arvidsson
Third seed, Kaia Kanepi, defeated Swedish tennis player, Sofia Arvidsson, in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 in her second round match at the Open GDF Suez, seizing victory in a match, which lasted a little over one hour and six minutes.
World number 17, Kaia Kanepi, was at a definite advantage in this match, having a streak of victories against Arvidsson, who is ranked much lower at number 60.
Kanepi, who is 25 years old, turned pro in 2000 and has been playing tennis on the professional circuit ever since. A right-handed player, she has participated in six matches so far this year and has broken even with three victories.
Arvidsson is a year older than her opponent, and also plays right-handed tennis. She turned pro a year before Kanepi in 1999, and has played seven matches so far this year. The Swedish player has only been able to win two of these matches. Both players have
a single career title apiece.
The match was a simple one for Kanepi, who systematically decimated Arvidsson. Although the Swedish made several attempts at a comeback during the match, Kanepi did not give her much of a chance to break through and she succumbed to her opponent within two
sets.
This recent victory gives Kanepi yet another win over Arvidsson, making their head to head record 5-0.
Their first meeting was in Tallinn in 2000, the year that Kanepi joined the WTA as a pro. Kanepi was an unranked player, while Arvidsson was world number 887. The two players met in the round of the last 16, and Kanepi won the match 6-2, 7-6(10).
Their next match did not take place until 2003, when they both participated at the clay event in Torino. Arvidsson had made it up the charts to world number 135, and she was seeded second at the tournament. However, then-Number 212 Kanepi managed to defeat
her at the semi-finals of the event in straight sets 6-3, 7-5.
In 2003, when Kanepi was number 160 and Arvidsson was number 108, the two players met in the round of the last 16 in Ortisei. Despite being seventh seed, Arvidsson was easily defeated in straight sets 6-3, 6-2 to give way to Kanepi.
Kanepi and Arvidsson’s most recent meeting before the Open GDF Suez was in 2008, when they participated in the Sydney event. They competed against each other in the round of the last 16.
At this point, Kanepi and Arvidsson had broken into the Top 100, although the Estonian was ranked higher than Arvidsson for the first time. Number 73 Kanepi defeated number 97 Arvidsson in three sets 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Kanepi will be competing against eighth seed, Dominika Cibulkova, in the quarterfinals, after the Slovakian defeated American player, Melanie Oudin, 6-4, 7-6(5) to win her second round match.
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