Asia Muhammed, Alexander Mueller enter the final round of qualifier – Citi Open 2011
Asia Muhammed of America was largely untroubled as she reached the final round of the qualifying draw at the 2011 Citi Open after beating compatriot Skylar Morton with a 6-4, 6-2 score.
Morton, who is ranked 9999th in the WTA (Women Tennis Association) singles rankings lists, entered the tournament as a wildcard and could not put up a decent fight against the compatriot and lost the match in just 93 minutes of
play.
A brilliant opening to the match, Muhammed broke Morton in the opening game to enjoy a 3-0 lead, being the more aggressive player whilst returning, and pushed her vulnerable opponent into committing a number of unforced errors,
however, things started to heat up in the fourth game when Morton fought back to tie the score at 4-4.
Morton battled bravely in the opening set despite labouring to put her higher ranked opponent away during the long rallies. With the 17-year-old American opponent running out of gas, Muhammed pulled out a dipping backhand slice,
which Morton judged badly, handing her adversary the first set.
Opening serve in the second set, Muhammed started to raise the level of her game. Morton displayed her lack of experience with a whopping number of unforced errors and then blazed an easy passing shot out to give her compatriot
the second set 6-2.
With this win, Muhammed has gone one up in the head-to-head series against the 17-year-old Morton and now moves on ahead to face Alexandra Mueller, who defeated the top-seeded, Julia Cohen of with a 6-1, 6-0 score line.
An extraordinary presentation of tennis from Mueller helped her to keep her winning hopes alive, here at the Tennis Center at College Park on Sunday.
Mueller was comfortable throughout; despite Cohen broke Mueller first to take the early advantage only to give it right back, thanks to some gusty play and Cohen’s growing unforced error count which made her lost the first set
with a breadstick win.
The second set followed the pretty same pattern as Cohen was forced to serve to stay in the match and Mueller’s shot just made her look like any other ordinary player, losing the second set with a bagel.
Hitting three aces and winning 80 percent off the first serve, Mueller capitalised on the Cohen’s a whopping number of unforced errors as she raced towards a lop-sided victory.
Mueller now moves on ahead to meet eighth-seeded Muhammed in an attempt to qualify for the main draw and trying to win her first WTA title of her career.
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