Kiki Bertens upsets Christina McHale in the first round – US Open 2012
Ranked 74th in the WTA Premier Rankings, Kiki Bertens stunned the US tennis professional, Christina McHale in the first round of the US Open. Bertens nudged her 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 triumph against the world
number 24 on Monday.
The Dutch professional demonstrated her high spirits ever since the time she stepped on the hard courts of the Flushing Meadows. She remained focused throughout the encounter and tried her utmost to deliver her American rival
flawless first serves and high speed aces.
The 21st seeded American exhibited a relatively poor game plan since the start of the contest, with Bertens taking the opportunity of the situation and storming forward. Initially the two players battled
hard to secure the lead and ultimately Bertens re-ignited her spark to clinch the set at 6-4.
In the second set, the game shifted momentum and the right-hander American professional showed her brilliant defence to fritter away the aggression of her opponent. She roared at Bertens and smoothly marked her lead early
on. McHale established the break in the middle of the set and from there she crashed down her opponent, claiming the set with a 6-4 score.
In the decider, the two contestants tried hard to remain alive in the tournament. The 20-years-old Dutch warded off all the break points she faced from McHale and successfully held her entire serves. McHale despite of her
initial loss, remained calm and tried to keep her tempo as the game kicked further. Bertens hammered several highly paced winners and angled shots to keep her opponent under the cosh. After a tough encounter, she confidently brushed off her rival, clicking
a 6-3 victory in the end.
The former world number 71, Bertens smashed nine aces against her the US professional. She had an average first serve percentage of 52, converting 39 of 59 first serve points in the match. As luck favoured her, she managed
to capitalize six of the seven break points offered.
The American tennis ace miserably failed, as she could only strike one aces in the entire match and had an average first serve percentage of 54. She clenched 27 of 43 first serve points. McHale’s merely secured five of the
16 break pointes given to her.
Bertens will contest against the Olga Puchkova in the second round of the tournament.
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