Anna-Lena Groenefeld, Stephanie Gacon advance in qualies at Internationaux de Strasbourg
German tennis-pro Anna-Lena Groenefeld thrashed out Chinese Yi-Fan Xu 6-2, 6-1 on Sunday in the second round play of 2011 Internationaux de Strasbourg in France.
Groenefeld smashed powerful forehands and backhands all over the court and as she made the challenger run for her money. In the opening set she broke the serve in second game to dent her opponent’s confidence levels. Xu tried her best to stay in the match but she was resisted every time she looked to attack the German. Groenefeld broke serve once more with four straight points to take the crucial set score lead 1-0.
The second set also followed a similar pattern. Although Xu managed to break the serve in one of the games, Groenefed continued to play aggressively and created match wining opportunities. With four serve breaks in the set, the German was able to complete her straight set victory in only 53 minutes.
With an impressive 70 per cent first serve conversion the 25-year-old Groenefeld was able to push her opponent on the back foot. She dominated nearly all the rallies in the match with her stunning backhand shots. The German also made most of the opportunities presented to her by converting six out of seven break points during the contest. Xu on the other hand lacked the firepower and paid the price for her weak serve. She must work hard on her serve to make a strong come back to the WTA arena.
Ranked 212th in the Women’s Tennis Association rankings, Groenefeld was delighted at her victory and aimed for similar results in her upcoming matches at the tournament. However, she will have to up her game play considerably if she wants to surprise other top seeded players at the WTA tournament to clinch second WTA title of her career.
In another match here French women Stephanie Foretz Gacon eased past Australian Jahanna Konta 6-3, 6-1 to advance into the final round of qualification tournament.
Gacon looked to dominate her opponent right from the start and soon found herself in a very strong position in the match. In the opening set both players traded serve breaks, however, Gacon held her nerves and took a vital 5-2 lead in the set with a wonderful forehand winner. She clinched the opener 6-3 after she successfully claimed her next service game.
Gacon moved forward with bigger strides in the following set and managed to break the serve three times to ensure a straight set victory. With her aggressive intent in the serve return department, Gacon won crucial points to put herself in a very healthy position in the match. World number 140 will be looking to continue her good form in her next match-up as well.
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