Barbora Strycova triumphs over Mirjana Lucic in second round – Bell Challenge 2011
Sixth seeded Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova made a comeback victory against Croatia’s Mirjana Lucic at the Bell Challenge 2011, an indoor hard court event taking place from 10th to 18th September in Quebec,
Canada. She earned a 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 success over the 29-year-old Croat to advance into the final eight on Thursday.
The Plzen native Strycova outclass world number 104, Lucic after making a comeback from a set down to seal the deal with a breadstick in one hour and forty-one minutes. She maintained her winning record and after earning this victory,
the Czech extended the lead by 2-0 against Lucic and advanced confidently into the quarter-finals.
The Croat made a nervy start and lost her serve in the very first game. However, she roared back and after breaking Strycova’s serve twice, went 4-1 up. Later she held her remaining serves and broke again in the eighth game to
seal the opener with a 6-2 win.
Ranked 75th in the Sony Ericsson WTA Premier rankings, Strycova thundered into the opening game of the second set and earned the desiderated break to take the initial lead. She carried her ways and bagged in the next
three games as well before Lucic could hold on. The Czech then wiped out last two games to earn a breadstick.
Strycova lost her serve early on in the third game of the decider but forced her way back in the game after winning next four games consecutively. She then held her serve for the last time in the ninth game to pocket the final
set with a 6-3 score line.
Overall, the 25-year-old Czech clobbered a higher first serve share of 65 percent as compared to Lucic’s 55 percent and registered an impressive 67 percent win on it. She further spiced the match by capitalising on six out of seven
breakpoint opportunities to her advantage.
Strycova will next face her countrywoman, Andrea Hlavackova who stunned another Czech, second seed Lucie Safarova in straight sets to set-up this clash. Strycova needs to practice harder and improve her return shots to face her
high spirited compatriot.
25-year-old Hlavackova exchanged two breaks to drag the opening set to a tie-breaker where she dominated to clinch it with a 7-6(1) score line.
The winning Czech continued her momentum into the second set and broke for the second time in the end to seal the set by winning seven games to five.
It took Hlavackova one hour and forty-two minutes to stun her countrywoman on their first meeting.
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