Anabel Medina Garrigues advances in Indian Wells with double breadstick
World number 77, Spaniard Anabel Medina Garrigues destroyed Austrian qualifier, Tamira Paszek 6-1, 6-1 at the first round of 2011 BNP Paribas Open on Thursday night.
The 28-year-old Spaniard has enjoyed top form recently as she comes from a semi-final run at Acapulco losing to 4th seeded Argentinean Gisela Dulko in straight sets. However, she exited from the first rounds at Auckland,
Bogota and the Australian Open. She carried her winning momentum from Acapulco to this event and wiped out the Austrian with double breadsticks.
Ranked 90th in the world, Paszek hasn’t had much progress this season and played poorly in this tournament as well. Despite having a better first serve percentage and saving three break points, she double faulted four
times. This resulted in Spaniard winning the set convincingly. The Spaniard earned an exceptional 82 percent win on her first serve and broke Austrian’s serve twice.
In the final set, Paszek earned an acceptable first serve percentage of 72 percent as compared to Garrigues’ 69 percent while managing to save three of six break points. But this wasn’t enough to stop the raging Spaniard. Maintaining
her serve winning percentage at 82 percent, the Spaniard was able to cruise to another breadstick win breaking Paszek’s serve three times.
Overall Spaniard outshined Paszek in every statistic especially with higher return points and service points winning percentage.
She will next face 16th seeded Russian Maria Sharapova who reached this spot directly for being a seeded player.
Another player advancing to the second round is Russian Anna Chakvetadze. She triumphed over Japanese qualifier, Misaki Doi with a breadstick.
In the first set, both players displayed an awe-inspiring game of tennis. Both players committed several unforced errors and produced acceptable first serve percentages. They exchanged three break points and forced the first set
into a tiebreaker. But the Japanese lost her cool under pressure and failed to win a single point. Chakvetadze succeeded in clinching the set 7-6(0).
Doi didn’t re-form in the second set and played poorly. She won only a single game and double faulted four times. Despite of having a higher first serve percentage of 50 percent as compared to Chakvetadze’s 40 percent, she only
earned a mere 38 percent win on it. While the Russian registered an amazing 83 percent win on her first serve percentage and broke Japanese’s serve four times to win the set with a breadstick.
She will next face her 24th seeded compatriot Maria Kirilenko. Kirilenko reached this spot directly since she is a seeded player.
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