Kim Clijsters off to a wining start, Romina Oprandi also advances – UNICEF Open 2011
Top seed Kim Clijsters defeated Monica Niculescu of Romania 7-5, 7-5 on Monday to reach the second round of 2011 UNICEF Open in Hertogenbosch.
Upset in the second round of 2011 French Open, Belgian looked for a solid start in the contest. Serving with accuracy, she managed to take control of the rallies and then placed her powerful forehand and backhand winners all over the court to take 4-2 lead in the opening set. World number 46 Niculescu was also up for the challenger as she put up a brave fight to clinch three straight games. However trailing 4-5 in the set, Clijsters claimed three games in a row to take the set score lead 1-0.
The second set was also played on a very competitive note as both players held on to their serve games to even the game score 2-2. Clijsters had her first chance of breaking the serve in sixth game of the set which she converted successfully to establish complete control over the situation. However Niculescu broke straight back to keep her hopes alive. Unable to handle the heat, the Romanian double faulted in twelfth game of the set to let Clijsters end the match in straight sets. In pursuit of her first grass court title of the season, Clijsters will be hoping to maintain her form through the tournament.
“It always takes a little getting used to,” Clijsters said of her first match on grass this year. “It was important to stay focused on every point.”
Hitting 63 percent of her first serves, Clijsters played a very controlled game. Earning 51 per cent of the points in the serve return department, she managed to come up with right combination of shots whenever it was required. Niculescu on the other hand paid the price for her unforced errors including four costly double faults. She was unable to execute her game plan under pressure and eventually wore out.
In another match of the day, qualifier Romina Oprandi of Italy defeated Uzbek tennis-pro Akqul Amanmuradova 6-4, 6-3 to make it to the second round.
Ranked 82nd in the world, Oprandi made an aggressive start to the match. Breaking the serve early in the opener, she managed to gain the psychological advantage over the challenger. Holding on to the game score lead, she bagged the set 6-4.
Oprandi continued to play some high quality tennis in the second set as well as she broke the serve at regular intervals. Converting a long rally in her favour, she set up two match points for her and then converted the first one to end the match that lasted for only sixty one minutes.
Tags: