Agnieszka Radwanska outshines Francesca Schiavone to reach quarters in Stanford – Tennis news
Top seed, Agnieszka Radwanska, took down the former French Open champion, Francesca Schiavone, in straight sets at the Bank of the West Classic 2013 on Thursday. She clobbered a 6-4, 6-3 victory against the Italian veteran to secure a spot in the quarter-finals
at this WTA Premier event taking place in Stanford, United States of America.
The Polish top ranked star showed her class in her opening match. She prevailed throughout the battle and subsequently stole the show. Both challengers were meeting each other for the eighth time and with this triumph, Radwanska levelled the head-to-head
series by 4-4 against the Italian. The Pole has now conquered Schiavone in her last four meetings.
The high flying Pole is playing her first tournament since securing a semi-final berth at the Wimbledon Championships. She reflected in a post match press conference, “It was my first match back on hardcourts and the conditions were tough too, with the balls
really flying here. And the serve was not the key in this match at all - we were both struggling with that - so I had to find a way to win without the serve today. It's also tough to play against somebody who plays such different tennis than the other girls
- a lot of spin, one-handed backhand, slice - it's uncomfortable tennis to play against. It's always fun to play against Francesca, though the first few times I played her I really struggled to get used to it.”
Radwanska drew the first blood in the second game and leaped to a 3-0 lead. She availed another break chance and took a 5-1 lead. Regardless of failing to serve out the opening set with a breadstick, the Pole stayed focused. She cashed her third break opportunity
in the last game and clinched the opener with a 6-4 score line.
Ranked fourth in the world, Radwanska lost her track in the proceeding set and gifted away her opening serve. She managed to snatch her break back but lost her serve again to trail at 1-2. However, the Pole went on a four-game killing spree and leaped to
a 5-2 lead. She held her serve once again and pocketed the set with a 6-3 win.
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