Alisa Kleybanova rallies past Johanna Larsson in the first round – Sony Ericsson Open 2012
Russian starlet, Alisa Kleybanova, made a thumping comeback to the tennis courts, powering down the 64th ranked Swede opponent, Johanna Larsson, in the opening round of the Sony Ericsson Open on Tuesday. The 248th
ranked Kleybanova battled hard for two hours and 10 minutes to settle the final scores at 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, marching into the second round of the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) Premier-level event.
Kleybanova stepped onto the tennis courts after a year-long layoff due to illness. She took her time to get her eye in the game and dropped the opening set in the process. Once getting into her winning groove, Kleybanova blasted
her way past Larsson to register a booming victory in the end. She cruised through the last two sets with tremendous domination, showing the glimpses of her vintage form and class once again. It was her second victory over the Swede opponent, as she dumped
her in the 2010 US Open opening round. Kleybanova’s win over Larsson in Miami not only extended her head-to-head to 2-0 but also warmed her up for the upcoming gruelling encounters against the top class athletes in the later rounds.
Although the Russian had a below par serve precision of just 52 per cent in the match, she clinched 39 out of 56 first serve points en route to victory. She coughed seven double faults but her six thudding aces compensated for
them very well. Kleybanova converted three of her seven break opportunities in the match, whereas Larsson lagged behind with just two serve breaks in the entire contest. The Swede opponent had 16 break opportunities in the match but she kept frittering them
away carelessly, eventually finishing on the losing side in the end. Larson matched her opponent in the overall match stats but her dismal performance in the last two sets led to her downfall. She clinched barely five games in the last two sets, letting her
opponent through to victory.
Kleybanova will take on the 22nd seed fellow compatriot, Maria Kirilenko, in the second round of the Sony Ericsson Open on Thursday. Kirilenko had a bye to have a direct access to the second round of the tournament in
Miami.
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