Laura Pous-Tio, Kirsten Flipkens move into the main draw of 2011 BNP Paribas Open
Spaniard Laura Pous-Tio crushed local wildcard entrant Madison Keys on Tuesday to book her place in the main draw of 2011 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
The 26-year-old Spaniard made a terrific start to the match. She looked in great touch hitting the ball cleanly. The Spaniard made two serve breaks in the first set to go 1-0 up on the scoreboard.
The American made a strong comeback and showed great fighting spirit and mental strength as she took the second set into a tie-breaker. Both players played brilliantly in the set as four serve breaks were exchanged. However, Pous-Tio
was able to get the better of her opponent as she placed a superb backhand wide of her opponent in the tie-breaker and sealed the match 6-3, 7-6 (2). Pous-TIo’s stroke play was appreciable as she executed her forehands and backhands to perfection. The 26-year-old
created angles which were very difficult to cope with for her opponent.
World number 83, Pous-Tio has given some noticeable performances since the start of this season winning seven of her last nine matches on the tour. She reached the quarterfinals at the 2011 Mexican Open just over a week ago and
has made a good start to her campaign here at $ 3,645,000 event defeating Georgian Anna Tatishvili quite comfortably in her opening match. However she must not lose her focus if she wants to do well in a fiercely competitive field at Indian Wells Tennis Gardens,
California.
16 years old, Madison Keys played some admirable tennis in her match today though it wasn’t enough to carry her through. She tested her opponent’s patience and temperament throughout the contest but made critical mistakes including
6 double faults which proved to be decisive at the end. The American served well and converted 3 out 6 break points she attempted. Ranked 415th in the world at the moment, Keys certainly has the talent and skills to improve her WTA ranking. She
will be hoping for a strong appearance now when she next returns to the tour.
In another match Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium made quick work of her opponent Mathilde Johansson 6-4, 6-1 to reach the main draw here. Flipkens established a firm control over the match with her powerful serves and strong baseline
play as she completed an easy victory after only 1 hour and 15 minutes of play.
The Belgian who is currently ranked 104 in the world has had a disappointing run on the tour recently. She experienced first round defeats in all four Women’s Tennis Associations tournaments she has participated in since the start
of the season. She will be hoping to recover her form and pose more problems for her opponents in the main draw.
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