Heather Watson disposes Pauline Parmentier in the quarter-finals – HP Japan Open 2012
British contender, Heather Watson, confidently marched into the quarter-finals of the HP Japan Women’s Open 2012 on Friday. She jolted down her straight sets victory, 7-5, 6-3, against her French senior, Pauline Parmentier, at
the hard courts of Osaka, Japan. The British participant aced through the quarter-finals of the tournament with the local challenger, Kimiko Date-Krumm.
Talking to the media, Watson said, "I am so excited to have reached my first WTA singles semi-final. This is my first year playing in Japan and I absolutely love it. Getting to play doubles with Kimiko is so cool too. She is so
popular here and the crowd support is amazing. I hope I can continue things tomorrow. I know it will be a tough match in both singles and doubles."
Ranked 71st in the WTA Rankings, Watson proved her class ever since she stepped on the hard courts and assertively served in the opener. She drew the first blood and cashed the lone serve break in the second game. The
French professional responded back in the very next game and squared down the score line in the fourth game. Both the players battled hard against one another and did not give away a single chance to her oppoent to take the upper hand. Although the Brit retained
her poise, her lead crumbled when the scores evened out twice on after the other. Gradually, Parmentier lost her winning pace and Watson took hold of the opportunity and clicked the initial set closure with a 7-5 lead.
In the second round, both participants were unable to preserve their initial serves but the set witnessed a series of breaks. The 20-year-old, Watson proved her superior experience and clinched the initial games as the game kicked
forward. Nonetheless, she faced a slight resistance but she proved strong enough to face the pressure and eventually terminated the set with a 6-3 win.
The 26-year-old French participant double faulted six times and lost her upper hand. She had an average 54 percent initial serve accuracy with 22 of 47 points. She could only reel off five of the eight serve breaks presented and
the British capitalized on seven from 18.
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