Francesca Schiavone slays Alexandra Cadantu to reach round two – Internationaux de Strasbourg 2012
Former French Open titlist, Francesca Schiavone, crippled the Romanian star, Alexandra Cadantu, with a breadstick at the Internationaux de Strasbourg 2012 on Tuesday. She nudged up a 6-1, 6-2 victory against the 22-year-old to charge into the round of 16
at this WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) International-level tournament taking place in Strasbourg, France.
The Italian number one snapped out from her three match losing streak on dirt and found her rhythm at the right time i.e. near the start of the French Open. Battling each other for the first time, Schiavone not only edged in the head-to-head series by 1-0
against the Romanian but also booked a spot in the pre-quarters.
"I'm feeling good here in Strasbourg," Schiavone commented in a courtside interview after the match. "For me, the conditions are very good. The court is slow, the ball is not flying too much and it helps me to move my opponent around. I haven't been playing
my best for a while. So today it was really important that I felt physically and mentally strong out there. At this moment, it's also important for me to play matches and particularly here where the conditions are very similar to Paris."
Schiavone thundered into this red clay court event and drew the first blood in the opening game to take the initial lead. Despite losing her serve in the very next game, the Italian unleashed her true form and went on a five-game tear. She failed to block
the lone breakpoint she faced and capitalised on four out of seven break opportunities to pocket the opener with a breadstick.
Currently ranked 14th in the WTA Premier Rankings, Schiavone kept momentum rolling into the following set and held her opening serve with poise. After Cadantu kept her second serve, the Italian wiped out the last four games consecutively and sealed
the set by winning six games to two. She dusted away the only breakpoint she faced and cashed in two out of five break chances to register a 6-2 score line.
Overall, the former world number four sought 12 break opportunities and spilled fewer unforced errors. She clobbered a lower first serve share of 53 per cent as opposed to her opponent’s 70 per cent and impressively availed 15 out of 21 points on it.
Next in queue for Schiavone is the Croatian qualifier, Mirjana Lucic, who upset the British star, Anne Keothavong, in three sets to set-up this battle.
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