Carla Navarro defeats compatriot Arantxa Santonja to book a third round spot – Gastein Ladies 2011
Carla Suarez Navarro eased past compatriot Arantxa Parra Santonja 6-3, 6-3 on Wednesday to book her place in the third round of 2011 Nurnberger Gastein Ladies in Bad Gastein, Austria.
Navarro looked in commanding form right from the start of the contest as she hit the ball very fiercely. In the first round, she ousted number seven seed Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of Czech Republic. The Spanish tennis pro seemed
to have carried over that winning momentum into the second round as well as she required only one hour and 17 minutes dispatching her opponent.
Both players broke each other once early in the opening set as some exciting tennis was witnessed. Navarro displayed some high quality clay court skills as she created very tight angles from wide of the court. Leading 4-3 in the
set, she had her second chance of breaking the serve. Converting the break point with a lovely drop shot, she earned a tricky 5-3 lead, serving for the set. Holding on to her next service game without any trouble, the 22-year-old Spaniard bagged the opener
6-3.
The second set was also played on a very similar note with Navarro breaking her opponent early to establish complete control over the contest. Santonja also raised the level of her game to even the game score 3-3. However, Navarro
converted her second break opportunity in seventh game of the set to take 4-3 lead. She did not let her opponent breathe afterwards as she claimed three consecutive games to complete her victory in straight sets.
Ranked 103rd in the Women’s Tennis Association rankings, Navarro will be very pleased with the she conducted herself on the court. Hitting an impressive 78 per cent first serve, she was able to take control of the long
rallies. Converting five out of nine break points in the match, she did not waste the opportunities.
Santonja, on the other hand, paid the heavy price for her large number of unforced errors including four double faults. She will be looking to come back strongly in her next WTA tournament.
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