Kai-Chen Chang stuns Iveta Benesova to reach round two – Citi Open 2012
Taiwanese contestant, Kai-Chen Chang, shocked the sixth seeded Iveta Benesova in straight sets at the Citi Open 2012 on Sunday. She jolted down a 6-3, 6-2 victory against the world number 61 to secure a spot in the second round at this Emirates Airline US
Open Series event taking place form 28th July to 5th August.
Chang surprised everyone after snapping out from a 12-match WTA losing streak against the left-hander from Czech Republic in one hour and 12 minutes. After stealing the spotlight in their third meeting, the Taiwanese not only lowered trail in the head-to-head
series by 1-2 against Benesova but also progressed into the round of 16 at this outdoor hard court tournament.
The 21-year-old made a strong entry at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center. She drew the first blood in the fourth game and leaped to a 4-1 lead. Despite losing her edge in the seventh game, Chang got the breakthrough in the very next game and eventually
bagged the opener with a 6-3 win.
Ranked 134th in the WTA Premier Rankings, Chang kept momentum floating in the second set. He earned the critical break in the third game and jumped to a 3-1 lead. The Taiwanese held her remaining serve with self-assurance and capitalised on another
break chance in the seventh game, consequently clicking the set by winning six games to two.
Overall, the underdog smashed three aces and ruled throughout the match. She nudged up a better first serve share of 60 per cent as opposed to her rival’s 56 per cent and impressively marked 27 out of 41 points on it. Chang also brushed off three out of
four breakpoints she faced and converted four out of seven break chances to her advantage.
Next challenge for the Taiwanese is the winner of the match between Austria’s Patricia Mayr-Achleitner and Sweden’s Johanna Larsson.
The Portuguese qualifier, Michelle Larcher De Brito, will accompany Chang in the follow-up round. She summed up a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 victory against Croatia’s Mirjana Lucic in one and a half hour battle. Larcher De Brito was broken twice but capitalised on four
out of nine break chances to earn the fame.
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