Jelena Dokic vs. Michaella Krajicek - Malaysian Open semi-final match preview
Former world number four, Jelena Dokic of Australia, will face Michaella Krajicek of Netherlands in the first semi-final of the BMW Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday evening.
The Australian booked a berth in the semi-finals of the Malaysian event by outplaying the eighth seeded Serb, Bojana Jovanovski, in the quarter-final round. The unseeded Dutch was successful in her contest against Luxembourger qualifier, Anne Kremer, to
meet Dokic in the semis.
The 27-year-old Aussie is having a brilliant run in the tournament so far. Winner of five Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) titles, Dokic, exhibited her sheer brilliance in overwhelming top seed, Francesca Schiavone, in the first round. This confidence booster
gave her the momentum to cruise through her later matches. A continuous improvement in Dokic’s game is clearly observed en route to the semi-final.
The current WTA World Tour season for Dokic has been less fruitful. She started her campaign this year from the Brisbane International Championships and was eliminated in the second round, followed by an early ejection from the Australian Open. She reached
the quarter-final of the Open GDF Suez in Paris, her first appearance in a WTA quarter-final since 2009. Although she was defeated by the former world number one, Kim Clijsters, Dokic’s performance in the tournament was good.
At the Malaysian Open, the Aussie plays her second quarter-final in three years and it is difficult to say how she will handle the pressure of the big game. However, Dokic’s victory over the top seed Schiavone will certainly help her to play the semi-final
in a more positive manner.
Winner of three WTA career titles, Krajicek looked in ordinary form before coming to Kuala Lumpur. She was defeated in the opening rounds of the tournaments she played this year. Her Malaysian Open campaign proved very impressive and the Dutch had assertive
victories as she made her way into the semi-final.
Although Dokic defeated the top seed player in the first round, her game play remains questionable. The Aussie had an alarming number of errors in her prior matches. She spilled 27 double faults in three matches, with 15 alone coming in the contest against
Schiavone. This could prove to be a setback for Dokic in the semi-final.
The Dutch had also been giving away unforced errors in her games but they were far less than Dokic’s. Krajicek’s serve accuracy is also better than her semi-final opponent and this could be the deciding factor in the game.
Both players seem equally poor at converting break chances in the game. Krajicek got 24 break opportunities in her first two matches and converted merely seven of them. Dokic received 32 break points in her last two matches, winning just 11. Success in a
game of tennis is usually dependent on a player’s ability to win crucial points. The two semi-finalists need to rectify this inability if they desire success.
The contest appears fairly poised in the semi-finals as both women are looking to increase their WTA title count. It can be said that with a lot more professional experience and a recent victory over the top seed player, Dokic might have a slight edge over
Krajicek.
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