Daniela Hantuchova bows out to Klara Zakopalova in her opening match – BNP Paribas Open 2012
Former world number five, Daniela Hantuchova, showed dismal performance in her opening match at the BNP Paribas Open 2012 on Friday. She endured a gruelling 3-6, 7-6(7), 3-6 shock at the hands of the Czech star, Klara Zakopalova, in the second round at this
Premier Mandatory event taking place in Indian Wells, United States.
The 19th seed went into the overdrive mode in the second set and pulled out the equaliser. However, she swayed again in the final set and eventually lost for the first time in her fourth meeting against the Czech. As a result, the 30-year-old
not only advanced into the third round but also lowered the trail in the head-to-head series by 1-3 against Hantuchova.
Zakopalova assertively stepped on the Californian hard courts and kept her opening serve with poise. She lost her serve twice but capitalised on four out of five break chances to pocket the opener with a 6-3 win.
Currently ranked 21st in the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) Premier Rankings, Hantuchova rebounded in the following set. The 28-year-old saved seven out of ten breakpoints she encountered and cashed in all three break opportunities to drag the
set to a tie-breaker. The Slovak outclassed Zakopalova completely in it and ultimately sealed the equaliser with a 7-6(7) success.
The lower ranked found her thrust again in the final set and sought 17 break opportunities. Zakopalova cashed in four of them and consequently pulled out the decider by winning six games to three.
Overall, the Slovak appeared rusty throughout the three-hour marathon. The seeded veteran converted seven out of 13 break opportunities to her advantage but blocked 21 out of 32 breakpoints she came across. She also clobbered a lower first serve share of
59 per cent and availed 44 out of 87 points on it.
The 12th seeded Jelena Jankovic from Serbia also became casualty of the day. She suffered a 4-6, 3-6 loss against the local wild card entrant, Jamie Hampton, in one and a half hour duel. The Serbian number one lost her serve five times and capitalised
on three out of seven break chances.
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