Kirsten Flipkens dumps Alize Cornet to reach round two – Generali Ladies Linz 2012
World number 66, Kirsten Flipkens, continued her emphatic run of form at the opening round of the Generali Ladies Linz on Tuesday when she squashed the 43rd ranked Frenchwoman, Alize Cornet, in straight sets 6-4, 6-3.
It was a remarkable performance from the 26-year-old Belgian who is looking to bank on her stupendous run in Bell Challenge. She has not lost any match for the last nine encounters and her victims include some big names like Dominika
Cibulkova, Mona Barthel, Lucie Hradecka and now Alize Cornet. Surprisingly, the Belgian defeated her opponent, six years ago, in their first meeting at Biarritz as well so the head-to-head scores now rests with 2-0 in favour of Flipkens.
Cornet lost the match in an hour and 41 minutes; failing behind her competitor by 13 points in total. She created just two opportunities to break serve and converted one of them whereas her foe had six breakpoints and half of them
were converted with utmost command. So, Flipkens was a better performer and a deserving winner on the second day of the tournament.
Both players started off with a serve hold but the 22-year-old Frenchwoman was forced to work hard for her points whereas the Belgian just knocked the ball at her will and bagged an easy serve hold. Similar scenario was repeated
again that pushed the scores to 2-2.
A swap of breakthroughs in the following two games didn’t hurt any player except fuming the aggressive play from each end. The critical breakthrough in the final game of the opening set was clinched by the Belgian who deserved
to win after putting her opponent in all sorts of pressure from the word go.
The second set witnessed a conventional start and both players didn’t leak a breakpoint in the first five games. However, the 43rd ranked French couldn’t hold serve in the following game and gifted a lead to her competitor.
Flipkens took full advantage of that and didn’t make any mistake in rounding off the match in her favour.
Kirsten Flipkens goes head-to-head against Irina Camelia-Begu of Romania in the second round of the contest.
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