Barbora Zahlavova Strycova ousts Klara Zakopalova in second round – Budapest Grand Prix 2012
Another upset outcome was witnessed in the second round of the Budapest Grand Prix, as the fourth seeded Czech, Klara Zakopalova, bows out to her fellow compatriot, Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, on Wednesday. The 60th
ranked Strycova wrapped up victory in twin sets, 6-3, 6-3, marching into the quarter-finals of the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) Tour event in Budapest, Hungary.
The fourth seeded Czech hung in the contest for one hour and 31 minutes before submitting to the 26-year-old opponent. Zakopalova last faced Strycova in Marseille, France, in 2010 and stood victorious in three sets, 2-6, 6-3, 6-1.
It was Strycova’s turn on Wednesday and she cruised through both sets with the utmost ease to level the all-time head-to-head series at 3-3.
It was a fairly one-sided contest, with the unseeded Czech dominating for most of the time. She cashed on most of her opportunities in the match and kept delivering assertive winners down the line on regular occasions. Her fiery
forehand worked perfectly for her throughout the competition and she secured 25 out of 36 first serve points en route to victory. Strycova crafted 10 break chances but only four conversions proved sufficient for her to root out Zakopalova from the competition.
On the other hand, the fourth seed squandered four break points and registered merely one break point in the entire matchup to finish on the losing side in the end.
The contest took off with a successful serve hold from both ends. Strycova delivered her first blow in the third game but only to be broken in the very next game to fall back on even terms at 2-2. Further successful serve holds
took the score line to 3-3 but the Czech underdog shifted to her rage mode and stung two back-to-back break points to seal the opener at 6-3.
A much conventional start to the following set was witnessed and no break points were seen in the opening seven games, with Strycova leading the scores at 4-3. Another momentum swing took place and Strycova broke the fourth seeded
opponent for the fourth time in the match to lead 5-3. She had no trouble in concluding the matchup at 6-3, booking a spot in the round of eight. A total of 128 points were played in the contest and Strycova bagged 71 out of them, whilst her fourth seed opponent
lagged behind with 57 points to bring an end to her Budapest campaign this year.
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