Francesca Schiavone crushes Sara Errani to book a third round at the Mutua Madrid Open
Third seed Francesca Schiavone of Italy defeated compatriot Sara Errani 6-0, 2-6, 6-3 to book a third round place at the 2011 Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open in Spain. Her opponent in her next match-up will be Bethanie Mattek-Sands
of United States. Mattek-Sands overwhelmed compatriot Vania King 6-0, 6-2 to reach that far.
World number four Schiavone made a very positive start to the match by breaking the serve in the very first game of the opener. With her aggressive intent, the Italian created match winning opportunities. Schiavone broke the serve
twice more in the set and held on to her serve games to clinch the opening set 6-0.
Errani fought back well in the second set. She broke the serve twice in the set and also kept her defence in check to save crucial points against her. It was an astonishing effort from the 24-year-old Italian to level the set score
1-1 as she looked down and out at the end of the first set. Errani converted a long rally in her favour to shift the balance of the match.
The final set was played on a competitive note as both players exchanged serve breaks. Errani broke the serve first whereas Schiavone broke back immediately to stay in the match. Schiavone showed no signs of nerves as she successfully
converted another break chances in eight game of the set. She then claimed the next game on her serve to seal the match that lasted for more than 1 hour and 56 minutes.
With her well directed serves, Schiavone achieved an impressive 78 per cent first serve conversion. She also dominated the challenger in serve return department by claiming more than 50 per cent points. Errani did well to force
the match into the decider but loss in concentration resulted in a disaster for her in the final set.
Winner of four Women’s Tennis Association titles, Schiavone has been in terrific form since the start off this season. She reached quarterfinals at the year’s first grand slam Australian Open and gained valuable Sony Ericsson WTA
ranking points. Her good run on the tour continued at the BNP Paribas Open and the Sony Ericsson Open by reaching the fourth round of both tournaments.
Schiavone has certainly carried over her winning momentum into this tournament. She defeated Shuai Peng of China 7-5, 7-6 (2) in straight sets in her opening match at the red clay courts event. The 30-year-old will be hoping to
continue her good form in her upcoming matches as well however it may difficult for veteran tennis-pro to perform consistently at this age. With almost entire WTA top 20 competing for the prestigious WTA tournament, the Italian will have to be at her very
best to yield positive results from this tournament.
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