Daniela Hantuchova eases past Alla Kudryavtseva to book a quarterfinal berth – AEGON Classic 2011
Daniela Hantuchova continued her marvellous run on the green surface as she thrashed out Russian Alla Kudryavtseva 6-4, 6-2 on Thursday to book her place in the quarterfinal of 2011 AEGON Classic here in Birmingham.
Taking a lot of confidence from her second round 6-0, 6-3 win over Solana Cirstea, the former world number 5 Hantuchova made an emphatic start to the match as she broke her opponent first to win the psychological battle. Taking
a vital 4-2 lead in the opening set, Hantuchova kept her focus on the game and held on to her next two serve games successfully to pocket the opening set 6-4.
Displaying some top quality tennis in the second set as well, Hantuchova put her opponent under immense pressure as she closed all the doors for her to find an entry back into the match. A couple of serve breaks gave her an impassable
5-1 lead in the set. Smashing a gorgeous backhand winner down the line, she set up three points for herself and then converted the first one to ensure her place in the last eight at the Women’s Tennis Association tournament.
Serving with control and precision, the Slovakian tennis-pro achieved an impressive 69 per cent first serve conversion. Dominating the serve return department with a 47 per cent share of the points, she established complete control
over the contest. Kudryavtseva looked clueless against very strong baseline play from Hantuchova and leaked crucial points. It will not be wrong to say that she proved to be no match for the Slovakian, which of course forced her to adopt a defensive strategy.
Looking in a great shape, the 28-year-old Hantuchova is certainly one of the favourites for the US $ 220,000 tournament. She had a disappointing clay court season including her third round loss at the Rome International and fourth
round exit at French Open. However the fourth seed looked in total control of her game on the green surface. She will be looking to maintain her form at the prestigious Wimbledon Open as well, starting in couple of week’s time.
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