Barbora Zahlavova Strycova takes down Marina Erakovic to clinch title win – Bell Challenge 2011
World number 49, Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of Czech Republic, bagged her first WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) championship title in Quebec, Canada, defeating the 63rd ranked Marina Erakovic of New Zealand, in the
final of the Bell Challenge on Sunday night.
The six ranked Czech displayed her steely nerves to get the better of Erakovic in the competition, wrapping up the three-setter at 4-6, 6-1, 6-0, to get her hands on the $220,000 WTA event. She took one hour and fifty seven minutes
to dispose of the unseeded Kiwi opponent, registering her 27th victory of the running season.
Erakovic was off to a brilliant start in the contest, putting the sixth seed under pressure by pocketing the opener early in the match. Strycova recovered with great mastery in the following sets and absolutely blew away her opponent
in the last two sets to come out as the winner.
The 25-year-old champion banged 75 per cent of her serve on target and clinched 50 out of 77 first serve points in the match, while Erakovic lagged far behind with merely 23 points to finish on the losing side. Strycova suffered
two serve breaks in the set number one but then reeled off 11 consecutive games to rocket away to victory with the utmost ease.
The New Zealander broke her opponent in the very first game of the match and continued to press her to surrender with her pin-point hitting throughout the set. After dropping her serve in the fourth game, Erakovic nailed another
break point in the ninth game to close out the first set at 6-4, getting one up in the contest.
Erakovic went through a terrible slump in the next two sets and sprayed a number of errant strokes all over the court to let the sixth seeded opponent back in the game. Strycova raced through the sets, keeping the games short and
professional, securing crucial points to come on top of the matchup. The Czech nailed a total of five break point conversion in the two sets and flew away to victory on an assertive note to lift the Bell Challenge Trophy.
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