Kirsten Flipkens defeats Nadia Lalami to reach the semi-finals of Grand Prix De SAR
Belgium’s number three tennis player Kirsten Flipkens made short work of wild card entrant Nadia Lalami in the quarterfinals of the 2011 Grand Prix de SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem on Friday. She defeated Moroccan pro in straight
sets 6-0, 6-1 to secure her berth at the semi-finals of the tournament, which is a part of 2011 WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) tour.
The 25-year-old Kirsten, ranked 104th in the world, took just 45 minutes to secure her three match winning streak. The match was expected to be much closer, with Moroccan tennis Pro, currently ranked 497, just having lost a single
set in the tournament before entering the quarterfinal.
Despite the sad nature of her defeat, it was the best performance of her career so far, as she has become the first Moroccan tennis player to reach the quarterfinals of the WTA tour. She battled past Misaki Doi of Japan and Top
seed Aravane Rezai of France in the first two rounds, before losing to Flipkens in straight sets.
Kirsten on the other hand, has been one of the brightest stars in the Belgian women’s tennis circuit and is ranked No.3 tennis player in Belgium behind Yanina Wickmayer and Kim Clijsters. Flipkens has given some notable results
in the recent years including her wins over players like Jelena Dokic and Medina Garrigues in the first two rounds of the 2009 US Open, before losing to the compatriot and eventual champion Kim Clijsters in straight sets.
The 25-year-old Kirsten played a flawless game and raced to a lopsided victory as she won the first set with a bagel and the second set with a breadstick. She entered this tournament confidently and completely overwhelmed Moroccan
wild card, Lalami in straight sets. She managed to win an impressive 70 percent of points with the help of 100 percent break points she availed throughout the first set. The Belgian pro concluded the first set with a whopping 71 percent of the total points
and entered the second set with a 1-0 lead.
In the second set, Flipkens kept her momentum flowing and scored three ace and 76 percent of her first serves. Furthermore she gained an impressive 81percent on her first serves and 80 percent on her second serves. Flipkens played
phenomenally and availed 100 percent of breakpoints opportunities to break her opponent’s serve in the seventh game.
Flipkens will face Simona Halep of Romania in the semi-finals of the tournament. Halep battled past Anastasiya Yakimova, Alla Kudryavtseva and Greta Arn to reach the last four. Halep is the only Romanian survivor in the semi-final
line up. Halep had a wonderful start to the year as she reached the quarterfinals of the ASB Classic defeating Ayumi Morita and Elena Vesnina before losing to the eventual runner-up Yanina Wickmayer.
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