Errani/ Vinci stun Benesova/ Strycova in opener – Western & Southern Open 2011
Italians, Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci, upset sixth seeded Czechs Iveta Benesova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova in straight sets at the Cincinnati Open 2011, a hard court US Open series leading towards the US Open. They registered
a 6-2, 6-3 victory over the Czechs to advance into the second round on Monday.
The unseeded Italians displayed tremendous skills to triumph over Benesova and Strycova in straight sets in just under an hour. They secured a second round spot and advanced confidently in this $2,000,000 event.
Errani and Vinci had a perfect co-ordination in the opening set as they produced a higher first serve share of 60 percent as compared to their opponents’ 46 percent and registered a perfect win on it. They unleashed their true
skills and abilities from the start and reeled off first three games in a row. The Italian team then broke again in the last game to clinch the set with a 6-2 score line. Further spicing the set, they faced zero breakpoints and converted two out of five breakpoint
opportunities to their advantage.
The Italian duo lost their momentum in the second set as they lost their serve in the opening game. However they snatched the break back in the very next game and later held their remaining serves comfortably. Errani and Vinci
converted another breakpoint opportunity to their advantage in the eighth game to bag the set by winning six games to three. They manifested 52 percent first serve share which was slightly higher than their rivals’ 50 percent but the delighted pair earned
a superb 85 percent win on it.
Up next for the Italians are the wild card entrants, American Belgian pair of Yanina Wickmayer and Sloane Stephens.
The American Belgian tandem rallied past Americans Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears in a three set thriller in one hour and twenty minutes.
Wickmayer and Stephens lost their serve twice but broke their rivals’ serve three times to clinch the opener with a 7-5 score line.
The Americans roared back with a fit reply in the second set as they earned the critical break in the second set to have an early edge. Although Kops-Jones and Spears gifted away their serve in the fifth game, they plucked last
three games to pocket the equaliser with an assuring 6-2 score line.
The winning combination of Wickmayer and Stephens then prevailed in the decider and eventually clinched the super tie-breaker with a 10-8 win.
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