Chanelle Scheepers defeats Anastasija Sevastova in 1st round – WANLIMA Women’s Open 2011
South African tennis pro Chanelle Scheepers defeated Anastasija Sevastova 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 in a tight three set match on Tuesday to advance in to the second round of 2011 WANLIMA International Women’s Open here in Guangzhou, China.
Seeded seventh at the Women’s Tennis Association tournament, Scheepers looked in stunning form in her opening match against a very tricky opponent. Sevastova, who is known for her big serves, came back well in the second set after
losing the opener. However, Scheepers continued to play aggressively and despite suffering a break of serve in the closing stages of the match, she was able to clinch an impressive victory.
Sevastova, on the other hand, will be disappointed with the result. The Latvian bounced back brilliantly in the second set to change the picture of the match. Although she had the momentum on her side in the decider, she struggled
to handle the heat in pressure situation. Still inexperienced at the WTA level, Sevastova will be hoping to learn from her mistakes and come back strongly on her next appearance on the tour.
Scheepers made a decent start to the match. Clinging on to her service games early on, she forced errors from her opponent. Displaying some high quality tennis in the opening set, both players broke each other at regular intervals.
Trailing the game score 4-2, Scheepers raised the level of her game play. Breaking the serve three times, she surprised her opponent with her amazing determination and fighting skills. Smashing a great backhand winner down the
line, she bagged the set to take 1-0 set score lead.
Looking for an entry back into the contest, Sevastova also changed the gears. Dropping only a game in the set, she shifted the balance of the match. Her astonishing fight back led the match into the third and final set.
Ranked 73rd in the world, Scheepers continued to break her opponent at crucial stages and she secured the set 6-3 to seal an emphatic victory in a match that lasted for nearly two hours on the hard courts of Guangzhou.
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