Kristýna Plíšková
topples Nadiya Kichenok
in 1st round – Slovak Open 2011
Eighth seeded Czech Kristýna Plíšková whitewashed Ukrainian qualifier Nadiya Kichenok in the first round of the Slovak Open 2011.
On Tuesday the 15th of November 2011, at the Národné Tenisové Centrum in Bratislava, Slovakia, the two competitors dulled swords against each other on indoor hard courts and after just fifty six minutes the eighth seeded
Czech put an end to the Ukrainian qualifier’s winning streak by whipping her in straight sets of 6-3, 6-3.
Plíšková won the service toss and had decided to kick open the first round of the match and both the players managed to hold their respective serves in the first four games to tie the score at two games each. It was during the
fifth game that Plíšková had taken the lead by breaking her adversary and with a hold of serve in the previous game.
At the end of the seventh game the score had progressed to 5-2 with Plíšková was only
a game away from securing the opening set. However, the eighth seeded Czech was unable to close the set in the following game but eventually managed to do so in the ninth game by smashing a marvellous forehand winner down the line. She had now taken
the competitive edge in the match.
The second set was a lopsided victory for Plíšková as she had strengthened her defence and did not allow a single breakpoint opportunity for her adversary; instead she had capitalized on two vital breakpoints won.
Although, she had hit only 47 percent of her first serves on target, she had expertly bagged a grandiose hundred percent of her first service points. In addition, this also assisted her in accomplishing an ostentatious 84 percent
of her total service points won in the second set.
Kichenok opted to serve for the second round of the match and for the first four games the players matched an eye for an eye as the score tied at two games each. However, in the fifth game Kichenok double faulted on her serve an
endorsed a vital breakpoint to the eighth seed. On the contrary, the eighth seeded Czech had taken a mini lead by reeling two games at the end of the sixth game.
During the seventh and the eighth game once again both the players had skilfully handled their respective serves and bagged a game but Pliskova was leading the set. As Kichenok’s forehand went wayward, she gifted away the set and
the match to Pliskova.
The eighth seeded Czech will be facing Dutch qualifier Richel Hogenkamp in the second round of the tournament.
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