Anabel Medina Garrigues trounces Kristina Barrois to reach round two – Estoril Open 2012
Defending champion, Anabel Medina Garrigues, trashed the German veteran qualifier, Kristina Barrois, in the opening round clash of the Estoril Open to inch a step closer to a successful title defence in Portugal. She won the match
in straight sets 6-4, 6-1 ending the battle with an hour and a half.
It was a traditional start to the match and both players capitalized on their serve games to push the scores. First four games went by without much trouble for any player; however, the first breakpoint of the match went in favour
of the Spaniard. The third seed struck a couple of breathtaking winners down the line that were coupled with a classic net drop shot to round off the breakpoint.
A game later, there was a swap of breakthroughs witnessed at the clay courts of Estoril. The defending champion was still leading the scores at 5-3. Barrois did well to hold her serve and keep the set alive but failed to break
serve in the following game that ended the first set proceedings.
Fatigued legs and tiring body movements limited the play of the German who was totally ousted in the second half of the match. She started well with a serve hold but that was the only thing she could grab from the whole set. It
was all about the Spaniard third seed who won three breakpoints on the trot and sneaked serve holds at other end to stamp her authority.
On her triumph, the 29-year-old Spaniard stated, “I couldn't warm up properly because it was raining before, so the beginning was a bit strange, but I started to feel better once we got going. When you win a tournament you always
want to come back and defend it the next year, but every match here is going to be difficult and I have to go step by step. Tomorrow I have another match. We'll see." She looked all fired up to defend her title successfully.
Silvia Soler-Espinosa of Spain registered a major upset against the Romanian beauty starlet, Sorana Cirstea, to book a date with the defending champion. It will be a good match between the two compatriots who are technically very
sound.
However, considering the superior rank of Garrigues, she is expected to the encounter but the possibility of upset can’t be neglected anytime. The match will be played on Wednesday eve and a huge crowd is expected to witness this
startling encounter.
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