Alexandra Cadantu breezes past Anastasia Yakimova into 2nd round – Luxembourg Open 2011
Romanian qualifier Alexandra Cadantu flashed past Anastasia Yakimova of Belorussia with a breadstick at the BGL BNP Paribas Luxembourg Open 2011, a WTA tier-III event taking place on the indoor hard courts in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg.
She registered a 6-1, 6-4 victory over the 24-year-old Belarusian to secure a second round spot on Tuesday.
World number 104th Cadantu took one hour and forty-eight minutes to stun the Belarusian, ranked 43 places above her, to book a second round spot on this final WTA event of the season. She not only avenged her loss at
Estoril earlier this season but also levelled the head-to-head series by 1-1 against Yakimova.
21-year-old Cadantu made quick in-roads as she quickly swiped in entire serves without facing any breakpoint. She stroke out first three games in a row before Yakimova could hold on. Lather the Romanian kept her spirits high and
bagged in following three games to earn a breadstick.
In addition to this, she capitalised on two out of three breakpoint opportunities to her advantage. The Romanian also manipulated a slightly lower first serve share of 65 percent as compared to Belarusian’s 67 percent and registered
a mouth opener 92 percent win on it.
The qualifier kept momentum floating into the final set as she earned the coveted break in the opening game to have an early lead in the set. Later, she maintained consistency in her game to bag in entire serves and eventually
registered a 6-4 win. Cadantu warded off both breakpoints faced and cashed in the only breakpoint opportunity to her advantage.
Cadantu will square off against Czech lucky loser, Lucie Safarova who upset eight seeded Slovak Daniela Hantuchova in troublesome three sets to set-up this clash.
Another qualifier, Anne Keothavong of Great Britain, will be joining the Romanian in the second round. She required one hour and forty-eight minutes overpowering a local wild card enterer, Mandy Minella in a tipsy turvy three setter
match.
28-year-old British woman defended eight out of thirteen breakpoints came across and converted six out of eleven breakpoint opportunities to her advantage to seal the deal with a 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 score line.
Meeting each other after six years, world number ninety-three Keothavong maintained her winning composure to triumph over Luxembourgian, ranked twenty-nine spots below her. She not only inched towards the US$220,000 prize money
but also extended lead in the head-to-head series by 2-0 against Minella.
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