Angelique Kerber overcomes Yanina Wickmayer in the third round – BNP Paribas Open 2013
World number six, Angelique Kerber, took better of the error-ridden game play of the 30th seed Belgian, Yanina Wickmayer, in the third round battle of BNP Paribas Open on Monday. The fourth seeded German took one hour
and 22 minutes to register her ninth victory of the 2013 WTA season in straight sets, 6-1, 7-6(4).
Wickmayer defeated Kerber in their very first encounter in 2011 but the German avenged her defeat last year in Paris, France, to draw the series at 1-1. Her Monday’s victory not only gave her an edge in the head-to-head series
but also booked her a berth in the pre-quarter-final round of the WTA Premier Mandatory event in Indian Wells, USA.
The Belgian underdog didn’t deliver her best in the contest, coughing a number of unforced errors, including seven crucial double faults. She could barely win 20 out of her 46 first serve points in the match and replied Kerber’s
seven break points with just four to finish on the losing side. She had a terrible beginning in the opening set, winning just her first serve game before suffering three successive breaks of serves. Kerber raced away to 6-1 in no time to get into the driving
seat.
Wickmayer posed some resistance in the following set and a total of eight break points were witnessed from both sides, eventually taking the scores to 5-5. Another successful serve hold from both sides took the second set into
a tie break. Kerber carried on her winning momentum to steal the decider comprehensively, finishing the contest at 7-6(4).
"My coach came to me and just told me to remember my game plan, which we had before the match," Kerber said after the match. "I just had to keep focusing on my game, playing point by point and believing in my game. It really helped
me. I'm happy I could make it. It's for sure better right now," she said. "Before coming here I wasn't sure about how my back would feel after my matches, but now it's much better and my confidence is of course back and I feel good, and I'm looking forward
to playing tomorrow again."
Kerber has to face the Spanish qualifier, Garbine Muguruza, in the fourth round.
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