Kops-Jones/ Spears get rid of Doi/ Nara in 1st round – HP Japan Open 2011
Third seeded team of Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears got rid of wildcard entrants Misaki Doi and Kurumi Nara in the doubles opening round of the HP Japan Open 2011. The two squads met on the outdoor hard courts of Utsubo Tennis
Center in Osaka, Japan. After just sixty four minutes the third seeded Americans overpowered the Japanese wildcard entrants in straight sets of 6-2, 6-2 on Tuesday the 11th of October 2011.
The first round of the match was inaugurated by Kops-Jones/ Spears who smashed a few backhand winners to bag the first game without much opposition and placed themselves on the scoreboard at 1-0. They then capitalized on an early
break in the second game and rotated the scoreboard to 2-0. Holding serve in the third round, they further increased their lead to 3-0.
It was in the fourth game that Doi/ Nara realized that they need to jump back into the set as they held serve to score a game win. The players expertly handled their serves in the following three games and the scoreboard read 5-2.
The third seeded team was now only a game away and as the Japanese duo came under pressure they double faulted on their second serve and endorsed a crucial set point to their adversaries. Kops-Jones/ Spears took the competitive edge and went one up in the
match.
Opening the second round of the match was again Kops-Jones/ Spears. The again got off to a great start by holding their service game. The Japanese couple had realized their mistake after taking a beating in the first set and this
time they were able to hold serve for their first game. The two teams had easily placed themselves at 1-1 by the end of the first two games.
In the following two games the American pair took out their A-game and not only held their serve in the third game but also broke their adversaries in the fourth and in doing so; they were first to take the lead at 3-1. In the
following two games the players won on alternate serves and rotated the scoreboard to 4-2. Kops-Jones/ Spears wanted to cut the chase and they held serve for the seventh game by smashing a beautiful crosscourt shot and were now a game away from victory. As
the Japanese couple tried to smash a forehand shot, it went wayward and cost them the match.
Next up for the third seeded couple is Chen-Wei Chan with Xinyun Han in the second round of the HP Japan Open 2011.
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