Jelena Jankovic vs. Sybille Bammer: Monterrey Open Second Round Preview
Top seed Serbian Jelena Jankovic will be facing Sybille Bammer of Austria in the second round of the Whirlpool Monterrey Open on Thursday night.
Jankovic gusted away her first round opponent Lourdes Dominguez Lino of Spain in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1, taking just 82 minutes of play and advancing to the round of 16. Bammer stood victorious against Andrea Hlavackova in the opening round, beating the
Czech in a three-set thriller (4-6, 6-3, 6-3).
While the top seed cruised through her opening match at the Monterrey Open, Bammer had a tough time against Hlavackova in her most recent match. The 30-year-old Austrian had to bounce back in the match after losing the first set. Although her aggressive
comeback depicts her mental resilience, it also signifies that the Austrian is a sloppy starter.
Bammer’s overall serve percentage in the game was 69. This figure was alarmingly low in the first set when she merely delivered 57 per cent of her first serve. Jankovic might target this inability of Bammer to get control early on in the game.
The critical factor in Bammer’s victory over Hlavackova was the huge error count from the Czech player. Apart from the first set, Hlavackova spilled a number of unforced errors in the game, including 11 double-faults, which made a path for Bammer to bounce
back in the contest. The Austrian veteran should keep in mind that the top seed is quite miser in awarding unforced errors to her opponents.
To the surprise of many tennis fans, Jankovic also had a sluggish start to her contest against Lino. She had an ordinary first serve percentage of 55 in the opener and her serve was broken thrice. This is something rarely seen from the top seed as she is
reckoned for her aggressive starts.
The performances of both contestants so far in the tournament have hinted that the two players took their time to get their eye in the game. This provides equal opportunity for both women to get the early momentum in their second round encounter.
The crucial difference between Jankovic and Bammer is their ability to convert the break points. The Serb was very effective on cashing in six of nine break chances in her match, while Bammer was quite ordinary in doing so. Hlavackova bestowed the Austrian
with 13 break opportunities in the match but Bammer converted a mere six out of those, squandering more than half break points. She needs to rectify this inability of hers is she desires any success against the top seed.
Observing the point winning ratios of the two contestants, Jankovic proved herself better than the Austrian. The Serb won 59 per cent of the total points in her match against Lino with Bammer following her with 54 per cent of points won against Hlavackova.
Winning crucial points is what matters in a game of tennis and Bammer will be eyeing to improve this figure in the second round.
The two will battle it out for a place in the quarter-finals.
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