Karolina Pliskova stuns Jana Cepelova in opening round – Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge 2012
Czech rising star, Karolina Pliskova, upset the fourth seed, Jana Cepelova, in straight sets at the Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge 2012 on Monday. She nudged up a 6-3, 6-4 victory against the 19-year-old to book a spot in the round of 16 at this ITF (International
Tennis Federation) Women’s Circuit event taking place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The Czech youngster unveiled her true colours after entering this outdoor hard court event. She displayed brilliant defensive skills and eventually recorded the victory in their third meeting this season. The challengers last met each other at the Western
and Southern Open in August and after earning this fame, Pliskova maintained her winning record.
Pliskova made a strong entry at the Habtoor Grand Beach Resort and Spa. She drew the first blood in the fourth game and jumped to a 4-1 lead. The Czech held her composure and bagged remaining serves with poise. She dusted both breakpoints she came across
and cashed one out of two break chances to formulate a 6-3 success.
Ranked 115th in the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) Premier Rankings, Pliskova maintained consistency in her game in the following set. She lost her serve early in the set but remained focused. The Czech recovered in the sixth game and got the
breakthrough near the end, eventually sealing the set by winning six games to four. She dusted away three out of four breakpoints she faced and cashed half of the four break chances to prevail.
The 20-year-old is coming off capturing title at the Zawada ITF event in Poland. She was seeded second in that event and stole the show without losing a single set. Pliskova outshined third seeded Paula Kania and fourth seeded Ana Vrljic in semis and final
round.
Pliskova will face off the winner of an all-qualifier match between Great Britain’s Tara Moore and Germany’s Kristina Barrois.
The Georgian challenger, Oksana Kalashnikova, will accompany Pliskova in the following round. She bounced back to outsmart the Kyrgyzstani challenger, Ksenia Palkina, in a three-set thriller to reach this spot. The Georgian made a fitting reply after losing
the opening set as she pulled out the equaliser with a bagel. Kalashnikova then kept her rhythm and clinched the match in almost two and a half hour.
Tags: