Dominika Cibulkova, Kirsten Flipkens sail into the second round – UNICEF Open 2011
World number 23 Dominika Cibulkova thrashed out Romanian tennis-pro Simona Halep 6-3, 6-0 on Saturday to advance into the second round of 2011 UNICEF Open in Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.
In pursuit of her first Women’s Tennis Association title, Cibulkova made a bright start to her campaign at the US $ 220,000 tournament. Breaking the serve early in the opening set, she managed to dent her opponent’s confidence
levels. Holding on to her first two service games successfully, she raced to 3-1 lead in the set. The Slovakian had another chance of breaking the serve in eight game of the set, which she claimed successfully to establish complete control over the situation.
Converting the very first set point with a big forehand down the line, she took the set score lead 1-0.
Looking for a straight set victory, Cibulkova started the second set on an extremely aggressive note. Executing her game plan brilliantly, she made her opponent’s strategy look completely ineffective. Breaking serve regularly,
Cibulkova did not allow the challenger to breath in the match that lasted for only one hour and three minutes. Playing in a clever drop shot, she made a couple of match point available to her and then converted the first one to secure a thumping victory.
Halep failed to handle the pressure and committed a large number of unforced errors in the process. Her shot selection was poor at times, which let her opponent dictate the terms. She will be hoping to make a strong come back on
her next Women’s Tennis Association tour appearance.
Belgian tennis-pro Belgian Flipkens also earned a place in the second round with a comfortable 6-3, 6-2 victory over number eight seed Klara Zakopalova.
Flipkens strong and on-target serve proved to be the real difference between the two players as she secured 69 percent of the points on her first serve. Hitting three aces in the match, she was able to fire her way out of the trouble
whenever it was required.
Breaking the serve early in the opening set provided her with the momentum she was looking for. Although Zakopalova broke back to keep her hopes alive, she was unable to stop her opponent from clinching the opener 6-3.
A strong fight back was required by the Czech in the second set to force the match in to a decider. However, Flipkens forced errors from Zakopalova closing all the doors for her to enter back into the contest. Ranked 110th
in the world, Flipkens broke serve twice in the second set to end a fairly one sided contest. Defeating a player ranked much higher than herself will certainly give her confidence in her skills and abilities as she looks for first WTA title of her career.
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