Christina McHale pink slips Zoe Gwen Scandalis in 1st round – Mercury Open 2011
Day 3 of the Mercury Open 2011 saw the start of the first round. The two compatriots playing against each other were Christina McHale and Zoe Gwen Scandalis; meeting for the first time both the players battled it out on the hard
courts of the La Costa Resort and Spa, Carlsbad, California. McHale won the match 6-0, 6-0 in just 49 minutes and 37 seconds.
Serving first with great resoluteness was McHale; she opened the score at 1-0 while smashing an ace. She did not lack accuracy and with extreme precision and direction she struck zero double faults. She had a very strong and powerful
serve winning a remarkable 90% of her first serves along with, an exceptional 75% on her second serves; she attained 86% in her total service points. In addition, her return serve hit all the shots that came her way enabling her to win a commendable 76% of
total return points in the set. Her defence stood strong and it did not budge and hence gave no break points to her opponent and instead managed to convert three of the seven break points she faced.
On the contrary her opponent (Scandalis) hit no aces, her precession was shaky and she hit two line faults, because of poor defence she was unable to win any break points. Along with, an unsatisfactory performance in her serve
and return serve (Total service points and return points = 24% and 14% respectively) she not only gave an edge to her opponent but also lost the set 6-0.
After being beaten in the first set one would’ve expected Scandalis to play even better and equalize the set score 1-1 however, that was wishful thinking. During the second set it seemed like as if the two were on a wild goose
chase and eventually Scandalis not only got tired but also lost hope! Serving first with a lot of nervousness was Scandalis she opened the score card 1-0 and also aced. Although she performed relatively better than the first set, her accuracy faltered and
she struck two double faults hitting the net. Additionally, she had 6% more in her total serve along with 10% more in return serves than the previous set.
Mean while, McHale played an excellent serve winning 76% of her total serve points. The crowd saw McHale as a trampoline at the back of the court which bounced all her opponent’s shots that came her way which helped her to achieve
exceptional return winning 70% of her total return points. In addition, her defence was like a fortress and did not allow her opponent to avail her two break points and instead she won 50% of break point advantages and closed the set on her opponent 6-0.
Summing it up; McHale had worked on availing all the opportunities that came her way. She also had above average service points along with, exceptional return points and a stealthy defence she won the second set effortlessly.
Tags: