Anne Kremer defeats Noppawan Lertcheewakarn to advance to the quarter-final of the Malaysian Open
Anne Kremer of Luxembourg defeated un-seeded Noppawan Lertcheewakarn of Thailand in the second round of the BMW Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday. Kremer took one hour and forty minutes to wrap up a straight set thriller 7-6 and 6-3.
The contest was a treat to watch for the tennis fans, as an outstanding display of serve breaks and power hitting was witnessed throughout the match. A total of 13 serve breaks were registered in two sets. Very few games were played with any of the players
holding their serve.
Serve accuracy remained low in the game, as the two contestants having first serve percentages around the 60 per cent mark. Kremer had a healthier figure of 68 per cent, with five thudding aces. Her proficiency on winning the serve points was the critical
success factor.
Momentum kept swinging in the opening set, as a total of six serve breaks were seen from the two competitors. Both players availed most of their chances and keep the score board ticking on even terms.
Kremer got her first break point in the second game of the opener, getting a 3-1 lead in the set. Her Thai opponent, replied with the same in the sixth game to level the scores 3-3. Another breakthrough for Lertcheewakarn in the eighth game left her serving
for the set at 5-3.
The Luxembourger stung her second serve break, denying the set point to her opponent. An exchange of two more break points took place in the following two games, dragging the opener to a decisive tie breaker round.
A mini-break early in the tie breaker put Kremer in the lead at 3-1. She crafted some elegant cross-court winners to extend her lead to 6-3, serving for the set. The 35-year-old Luxembourger wasted a set point, before converting the second one to seal the
opening set at 7-6.
The following set was also filled with plenty of serve breaks. The 19-year-old Thai broke serve in the very first game of the second set, thanks to a double-fault from Kremer. The Luxembourger veteran squandered five straight break points in the second game
before she converted the sixth to level the scores 1-1.
An enthralling contest was seen, with the two women breaking serve in every game to follow. Both players exchanged two break points, before the score boarded settled at 3-3. Kremer shifted her gears to race past her opponent with two more serve breaks, extending
the total to four in the second set. She was left serving for the match at 5-3, and the Thai teenager lost the contest at 6-3.
Kremer will be taking on the winner of the match between the third seed Russian Alisa Kleybanova and the Dutch woman Michaella Krajicke in the quarter-final of the BMW Malaysian Open.
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