Anabel Garrigues downs Lara Arruabarrena-Vecino; races into the quarterfinals – XXIV SNAI Open 2011
Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain maintained her mastery over compatriot Lara Arruabarrena-Vecino in the second round match of the WTA Championships – XXIV SNAI Open on Thursday afternoon, beating the world number 175 handily in
straight sets, 6-1, 7-5.
Garrigues, who is a four-time Palermo champion, has improved to 29-3 in her career at the event with the 114-minute victory over Arruabarrena-Vecino, who was playing against the Spaniard for the first time.
Fifth seed's composed and calm performance in her second round match was more than good enough and eventually just about good enough to live up to the Kudos. But sharp changes of fortune, caused perhaps by the scorching heat, and
by some swings in self-belief, maintained uncertainty and excitement right till the end of her straight sets win.
The fact that the bookmakers made Garrigues favourite against the world number 175 was further testimony to how far her game had developed, taking the match with a difference of twenty points.
Although she had started to clinch an early lead in her previous round, Garrigues could not have got away to a speedy start. She was 1-0 up in less than a quarter of an hour and just taking a little over that she had won the first
set with a breadstick win.
Part of Arruabarrena-Vecino’s problem was that her compatriot had found a way past her best serves, standing well inside the baseline and waiting for her opponent to make mistakes, or leave openings for counter-attacks.
Nevertheless, everything went off without a hitch in Arruabarrena-Vecino’s world as she quickly broke for 1-0 and began to become more offensive rather than defensive. She held a break advantage from 2-0, to 4-2, and 5-4 but when
serving for the set and reaching for a set point, she faltered, allowing Garrigues to break back.
This break back was not less than a blessing for Garrigues as she timely converted her opportunities to avoid an exhausting three-set struggle.
She closed out the match pretty well, as if she had been made for this occasion, winning 62 percent of points on service, 54 percent of points on return and a total of 58 percent during the process.
She now moves on to play Irina-Camelia Begu in the quarterfinals of the tournament. Both women will do the battle for the second time and the Romanian leads the head-to-head to 1-0.
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