Anastasia Rodionova breezes into the second round of the Internazionali BNL D’Italia
Australian qualifier Anastasia Rodionova triumphed over former top thirty player Yaroslava Shvedova on Tuesday. She registered a 6-4, 6-4 victory over the Kazakh Shvedova to advance into the second round of the 2011 Internazionali
BNL D’Italia, a WTA Premier 5 event held in Rome, Italy.
World number 80 Rodionova took one hour and 38 minutes to down the Kazakh, ranked 25 places above her, at Foro Italico. It was their fourth meeting and after this victory, the Australian levelled the head-to-head series by 2-2
against 23-year-old Shvedova.
The Aussie had a poor record before entering this tournament as she won only three out of her last ten matches. However, she came up with a different strategy at this clay court event and overpowered American Vania King and second
seeded Chinese Jie Zheng in the qualifiers to reach this spot.
In the first set, Rodionova made a winning start by keeping her opening serve plausibly. She then kept her momentum and held remaining serves through her blistering winners. The Aussie faced zero breakpoint and converted one out
of five breakpoint opportunities to her advantage in the fifth game to clinch the opener with a 6-4 win.
She carried her winning ways into the final set and broke the Kazakh serve in the very first game. Rodionova then kept her entire serves through her quick forehands and backhands to seal the set by winning six games to four again.
She saved both breakpoints faced and converted one out of two breakpoint opportunities to her advantage.
Overall the Aussie clobbered less double faults, hammered three smashes and produced a higher first serve share.
Shvedova on the other side of net found only two breakpoint opportunities and failed to convert any to her advantage. Furthermore, she saved five breakpoints faced but it wasn’t enough to hold the raging Aussie back.
Rodionova will next face top seeded Dane Caroline Wozniacki who is in her top form. She had already won titles at Indian Wells, Dubai and Charleston and reached final at Doha and Stuttgart before receiving a bye into the second
round of this tournament.
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