Eva Birnerova ousts Melinda Czink – 2011 Family Circle Cup First Round
Czech tennis player Eva Birnerova managed to defeat Melinda Czink of Hungary in three imbalanced sets in her opening match at the 2011 Family Circle Cup, proceeding to the first round with a 7-5, 2-6, 6-2 victory over her opponent. The Czech pro took a little
over two hours and fifteen minutes to oust Czink, who put up a good fight.
Eva Birnerova is currently ranked World Number 133. She turned pro almost ten years ago, joining the Women’s Tennis Association tour in 2002 at the age of sixteen. Now 26-years-old, Birnerova has not yet won a career title. She is a right-handed player,
and gained entry into the main draw of this year’s Family Circle Cup as a qualifier.
Czink, on the other hand, is 28 years old and currently ranked World Number 706. The Hungarian player has been part of the WTA circuit since 2000, and has won just one career title to date.
Birnerova and Czink began the match on an even footing, trading serves back and forth to take the lead alternatively. Czink committed three double faults more than Birnerova, thereby giving her the opportunity she required to win the set. The Czech pro seemed
to suffer a mid-match lapse which coincided with a boost on Czink’s part, as the Hungarian cruised ahead to win the second set easily with 6-2. However, Birnerova got her edge back in the third set despite an ace from Czink, and managed to break her opponent
thrice to close the match with a 7-5, 2-6, 6-2 victory.
This is the first time that Eva Birnerova has managed to win a match against Melinda Czink, bringing their head-to-head record to 3-1 for the Hungarian tennis pro. Their first meeting was in 2005 on the hard courts of Canberra, when Birnerova was ranked
World Number 160. Czink was seeded fifth in the qualifying rounds as World Number 128, and defeated her opponent with a bagel. Their next match was later the same year on Fano clay, although Birnerova was ranked World Number 111 at this time. Czink reproduced
an identical result in this match, defeating her Czech opponent with the same scoreline which she had ousted her with in their first meeting. Czink and Birnerova’s last meeting was in 2007 at the Eastborne event, where Czink managed yet another straight sets
victory over the player.
However, Eva Birnerova seems to have broken the pattern this year and will be moving into the second round of the tournament to face Germany’s twelfth seed Julia Goerges, after the player ousted Belarusian Olga Govortsova in straight sets in the first round
of the 2011 Family Circle Cup.
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