Francesca Schiavone bows out to Varvara Lepchenko in round one – Mutua Madrid Open 2012
World number 11, Francesca Schiavone of Italy, was off to a dismal start at the Mutua Madrid Open, as she lost her very first clash to the 77th ranked American, Varvara Lepchenko, on Sunday. The 11th seed
Italian strained extremely hard for two hours and 44 minutes of play but eventually had to submit at 4-6, 7-6(8), 3-6, to end her voyage at the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) Premier Mandatory event.
Schiavone stepped on the blue clay of Madrid, Spain, as the hot favourite for winning the contest but the outcome of the match proved to be an absolute shocker for all tennis fans. The 11th seed Italian hung in the see-saw
battle until the end but couldn’t hunt down her agile American opponent. Lepchenko bettered her in most segments of the game and eventually avenged her defeat from Schiavone, who outplayed her way back in 2005 on her home soil, Los Angeles, USA.
"It had been a long time since we last played, I think I was only 16 or 17, so I didn't really know what to expect today," Lepchenko said after registering her surprise victory in style. "But when we played back then it was three
sets and I was inexperienced and didn't know much, and now I'm playing a lot better, so I was a lot more confident going into the match. I knew my potential today. I just needed to close it out."
The 31-year-old Italian veteran suffered an early blow in the contest by dropping the opening set and was pushed on her back foot right from the beginning. Lepchenko was absolutely phenomenal with her serve in the opening set,
as she delivered with 85 per cent precision and clinched 20 out of 23 first serve points to take the better of the Italian veteran. She registered a vital breakthrough in the very first game of the match and then stuck to her lead until the conclusion of the
opener at 6-4.
Schiavone played more cautiously in the following set and held her opening five serves to reach 5-5 without any serious challenge from her opponent. A further trade of break points from both ends drove the second set into a tie-breaker
round and the 11th seed Italian grabbed the crucial opportunity with both hands to win succeed at 7-6(8).
Lepchenko turned the tide in the decisive third set and two cracking break point conversions from the American proved sufficient for her to close out her stunning victory at 6-3. She will next face the Israeli tennis ace, Shahar
Peer, in the second round draw of the Mutua Madrid Open.
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