Lesia Tsurenko overpowers Shahar Peer in the opening round – BNP Paribas Open 2012
Ukrainian qualifier, Lesia Tsurenko, outclassed the world number 40, Shahar Peer, in a three set thriller at the BNP Paribas Open 2012 on Thursday. She joggled up a 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory against the Israeli ace to advance into the second round at this major
hard court tournament.
Tsurenko stayed focused throughout the match to pull out the victory in two hours and eight minutes at this WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) Premier Mandatory event. She lost the opener but broke Peer’s serve seven times after that, ultimately bagging the
match in their first meeting.
The world number 40 made quick in-roads after capitalising on all three break chances. Regardless of losing her serve twice, Peer managed to seal the opener by winning six games to four. She produced a superb first serve share of 81 per cent as opposed to
the Ukrainian’s 44 percent and dominated throughout the set.
The 22-year-old carried her drastic ways in the second set and after losing her opening serve, she went 2-0 down. However, she re-focused after that and went on a five-game tear before losing her serve again. Tsurenko then converted another break chance
to her advantage in the last game and clinched the equaliser with a 6-3 score line.
Ranked 115th in the WTA rankings, Tsurenko high spiritedly entered the final set and after getting the desiderated break in the fourth game, she took a 4-1 lead. Despite getting off track after that and losing four straight games, the Ukrainian
broke Peer’s serve again in the tenth game and tied the scores at 5-5. Tsurenko then got the breakthrough in the last game and pocketed the decider with a 7-5 success.
Tsurenko will next face the former French Open titlist, Francesca Schiavone, in the second round. The 10th seed received a first round bye after being a seeded player in this event.
Sofia Arvidsson will join the Ukrainian in the next round at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The Swede lost her serve three times but cashed in all four break opportunities to seal the deal with a 6-4, 7-6(4) score line against Greece’s Eleni Daniilidou.
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