Daniela Hantuchova runs over Rika Fujiwara in the 1st round – Bank of the West Classic 2011
Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova and Japanese Rika Fujiwara were competing in the first round of the Bank of the West Classic 2011. The two took to the courts for the first time at the outdoor hard courts of the Taube Family Tennis
Center, Stanford University, California. The Slovakian won the match in a run of the mill victory of 6-0, 6-2.
The first set of the match saw both the players strike one double fault each and neither of them was able to smash an ace. The 28-year-old Daniela had a strong attack and damaged her opponent’s ability to return her shots. Additionally,
she also had a concrete defence and was capable to save the only break point opportunity she committed along with, winning the three break points that she faced.
Mean while, Rika was not able to score a single game point! Instead she had a pathetic return serve and serve; she allowed her opponent three break points and was able to save two out of the five break points on her serve.
Daniela had won seventy one percent of her total set points whereas her rival (Fujiwara) had almost three times fewer points than her in the total set.
Fujiwara opened the second set with lack of stability in her serve; she ended up throwing no aces and with an unstable hand struck one line fault. Whereas, the Slovakian had perfected her serve and with extreme exactitude struck
zero double faults.
Although, Daniela’s performance in her serve had declined from the previous set, she still managed to attain an above average score of fifty eight percent in her total serve points along with a walloping sixty five percent in her
total return serve. On the contrary Fujiwara had performed relatively better in her return serve winning fourteen percent more in her total return points than the previous set.
The Japanese defence had faltered and ended up endorsing three break point opportunities to her opponent, which off course she profited with. While, Daniela had a stalwart defence and allowed only one break point opportunity to
her opponent along with winning seventy five percent of her break point opportunities.
During the second set Daniela let her opponent win only two game points against her; she won the set with ten points more than her opponent in a straight two set victory.
The 28-year-old and world number 21 influenced both the sets in the match. She will now be facing the former world number 1 Maria Sharapova.
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