Vera Zvonareva defeats Nungnadda Wannasuk 6-1, 7-5
Russian tennis player Vera Zvonareva defeated local player Nungnadda Wannasuk in straight sets 6-1, 7-5 at the PTT Pattaya Open, in a match which lasted a little over one hour and sixteen minutes.
This was the first encounter between the two time defending champion and the Thai qualifier. World Number 475 Wannasuk had a shaky start as she lost the first four games. Zvonareva steered through in the first set 6-1, with Wannasuk putting up little resistance.
Wannasuk picked up her game in the second set, driving the Russian player to three break points. However, she was unable to perform at Zvonareva’s level, and was defeated.
First seed Zvonareva will now be competing against sixth seed Peng Shuai, from China. Shai defeated Elena Baltacha in three sets 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 to clear the second round.
Daniela Hantuchova defeats Kimiko Date-Krumm 7-6(3), 6-3
Slovakian tennis player Daniela Hantuchova defeated veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm in straight sets, winning the match 7-6(3), 6-3. It is her first victory against the Japanese player, with the match lasting over two hours and five minutes.
Date-Krumm is currently rated World Number 55, while Hantuchova is Number 32. The Japanese player is 13 years senior to 27 year old Hantuchova at the age of 40.
Both players are right handed, and they have met each other on the court four times. Hantuchova turned pro in 1999, almost exactly ten years after Date-Krumm joined the WTA circuit in 1989.
Their first meeting was at Seoul in 2010, when Daniela Hantuchova was ranked World Number 21. She was the first seed at the tournament, while Date-Krumm was unseeded as World Number 155. However, the Japanese pro won the quarterfinal match in three sets
7-6(3), 4-6, 6-4.
The two players met again in 2010, after Hantuchova’s ranking dropped to World Number 29 and Date-Krumm’s climbed to Number 67. The event was the 2010 Tokyo tournament, and the two players met in the round of the last 32. Date-Krumm lost the first set 2-6,
but won the second one with a bagel. She was leading 4-0 in the first set when Hantuchova retired.
Their most recent meeting before the PTT Pattaya Open was in Bali in 2010. Kimiko, then ranked World Number 53, defeated Number 31 Hantuchova in the round of the last 16 in straight sets 7-5, 7-5. Their head to head count now is 3-1 to Kimiko Date-Krumm.
Fourth seed Daniela Hantuchova will now face Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzkebistan in the quarter-final round. Amanmuradova defeated Russian Chanelle Scheepers 6-2, 6-4 in the second round to make it to the quarter-finals.
Tags: