Kristina Mladenovic overcomes Annika Beck in the second round – Bell Challenge 2012
French qualifier, Kristina Mladenovic, continued to make progress at this WTA World Tour event, as she toppled the world number 141, Annika Beck of Germany, in three sets 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the second round of the Bell Challenge
in Quebec City, Canada on Wednesday.
Two hours and 19 minutes were required for the Frenchwoman to register this tough win.
Mladenovic made a shaky start, as she lost her serve in the first game to go down 0-1. Although, the French player struck back immediately to equalise the score at 1-1 but she lost the following two and trailed 1-3. Mladenovic
failed to bounce back during the rest of the set, throwing it away 4-6.
Beck looked rusty on her serve, as she was unable to hit any ace and committed a couple of double faults. The German contestant could not make her mark on her second deliveries, losing seven of the nine points on them. The 5ft
7in tall saved three of the four break points she faced and converted two of the eight she received in the opener.
Mladenovic made a flying start in the second set, allowing her rival to win only a single point in the first two games and gaining a 2-0 advantage. The French participant extended her lead to 3-0 but she lost three in a row after
that to square it off at 3-3. Mladenovic and Beck exchanged another blow later on but it was the Frenchwoman who made the last strike to seal it 6-4.
Both player hit a single ace and made a couple of double faults in the second set. Mladenovic had a lower first serve percentage in comparison to Beck but she converted more of them into points than her rival. The strongest aspect
of her game was her accurate second returns, from which she won four of the five points.
In the final set, Beck went into the driving seat by winning the opening two games but Mladenovic turned it around afterwards, as she captured six of the subsequent seven to seal it 6-3.
The Frenchwoman pounded four aces and grabbed 19 of the 26 points on the first serves this time. The 19-year-old was flawless on her second returns, winning all the seven points on them in the decider.
Mladenovic will take on the fourth seed, Aleksandra Wozniak of Canada, or USA’s Melanie Oudin in the quarter-finals.
Tags: