Daniela Hantuchova breezes past Gisela Dulko to advance into 2nd round – Rogers Cup 2011
World number twenty-four, Daniela Hantuchova eased past Argentinean Gisela Dulko, ranked twenty-eight places below her, in straight sets at the Rogers Cup 2011, a WTA event held on the hard courts in Toronto, Canada. She registered a 6-3, 6-4 success over 26-year-old Dulko to advance into the second round on Tuesday.
28-year-old Slovak striker required one hour and twenty-two minutes to trash Dulko in straight sets on their seventh meeting at the 122nd edition of the Canadian Open. Hantuchova easily cruised into the second round and extended her lead in the head-to-head series by 6-1 against Dulko.
Hantuchova burst in the opening set at Rexall Centre and unleashed her true form to reel off first four games in a row before gifting away her serve in the fifth game. Later she held on to her remaining serves to bag the opening set with a 6-3 win. The Slovak outclassed the Argentinean throughout the set as she manifested a much better first serve share of 79 percent as compared to Dulko’s 50 percent and registered a fabulous 68 percent win on it.
The Slovakian star kept momentum rolling into the final set and held smoothly held her opening serve. She exchanged a break in the third and fourth game and broke Argentinean’s serve again in the fifth game to eventually pluck the set with a 6-4 score line. Hantuchova clobbered a lower first serve share this time around but again earned an impressive 71 percent win on it. She fended off one out of two breakpoints faced and converted two out of three breakpoint chances to her advantage.
A former world number five, Hantuchova re-created her old magic to win the title at Pattaya after overpowering top seeded Vera Zvonareva on route to final. Her form dipped slightly after this but she raised it again at Strasbourg where she made a last four appearance. Hantuchova then made a title round showing at Birmingham and a semi-final berth at Eastbourne grass courts. She reached the quarters at Carlsbad before showing up at this WTA Premier event.
Up next for the Slovak is a Spanish qualifier, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez who bounced back to upset fourteenth seeded Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
The qualifier saved six out of ten breakpoints conceded but cashed in on all six breakpoint opportunities to her advantage to seal the match with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory. Sanchez took one hour and fifty-two minutes to stun the seed in brutal three sets and advanced into the second round on Monday.
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