2011 Open GDF Suez: Petra Kvitova ousts Zahlavova Strycova in second round
Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic managed to oust fellow citizen Barbora Zahlavova Strycova at the 2011 Open GDF Suez in a gruelling three-setter, which lasted over three hours on Thursday. The match concluded with a victory
for Kvitova as the final scoreline read 6-4, 6-7(6), 7-6(9).
Kvitova, who currently lies at the 18th spot in the world rankings, was expected to win the second round match against compatriot Zahlavova Strycova due to her higher ranking and consistent performance over the past
few months.
The 20-year-old left-hand tennis player has been a part of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) circuit since 2006. She has won two WTA tour singles finals thus far, including a recent victory at the 2011 Brisbane International
in January. She also won the Hobart International tennis tournament, now known as the Moorilla Hobart International, in 2009. So far this year, the 6ft tall player has won 12 of the 13 matches that she has played.
Meanwhile, the 24-year-old Barbora lies way below at the 56th spot in the WTA rankings. She is a right-hand tennis player as opposed to Kvitova, and turned pro three years before her compatriot, in 2003. Although she
has won eight ITF tournaments, she is yet to pull off a grand slam victory. She is coached by her husband, Jacob Zahlava and has played 12 matches in 2011, winning eight of them.
Prior to the match, Kvitova had a clear edge as she led the head-to-head score 1-0. Moreover, Kvitova’s confidence has been soaring since her Brisbane win; serving as a morale-booster, it has helped her in performing better in
all her matches. This was proved by the fact that she won the match despite converting just four of 19 break points throughout the match on 10 February.
The 20-year-old Czech player managed to score four aces against her opponent, who ended the match without an ace. She also saved six break points out of nine, while Zahlavova Strycova managed to save 15 of 19. The two compatriots
played 17 return games each during the three-hour long match.
Petra Kvitova will now compete against Belgium’s tennis pro and seventh seed Yanina Wickmayer in the quarterfinals. Although Kvitova is seeded higher at the event, Wickmayer has also been performing quite well in her matches. This
fact was exhibited by her phenomenal showing at the Fed Cup over the last weekend. While the match may extend to a tiebreaker, Wickmayer is still the favourite to win as she leads the head-to-head score 3-1.
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