Li Na beats Baltacha, leaps into quarters
Li Na beat out Elena Baltacha of Great Britain with a 6-3, 6-2 final tally at the first ever Danish Open in Copenhagen on Wednesday. The Chinese Li was able to race past Baltacha into the quarterfinals of the e-Boks Sony Ericsson-sponsored event in a straight set victory.
The win comes as a welcome revenge for Li, who has lost out to the hard-hitting Baltacha in their previous two career meetings earlier this season. The Brit overpowered Li both at Eastbourne and at Indian Wells at the start of the season. Li is currently the number one ranked Chinese player, and is seeded at the number two spot for the Danish Open tournament premier.
Li was able to advance past Baltacha, despite losing a total of 14 points on serve. She demonstrated a decent first serve percentage, getting in 75 per cent of her first serves. Throughout the match, she was able to win 74 per cent of points on serve. As Li gained momentum over Baltacha, it was evident that her confidence level was also increasing, as the Chinese player only lost three points on serve during the second set.
Li leaps into lead
Li took an early lead right from the opening set, racing past Baltacha without losing any of her service games throughout the entire match.
"I played her a few times this year, so I knew what to do," the 28-year-old Li said. "I just tried to be aggressive on the court but still play safe, and that balance was the key."
Li broke Baltacha’s serve on three occasions during the match, not letting up of her aggressive, forward approach, to counter-balance Baltacha’s bigger serves.
Li breaks records in China
Over the span of her career, Li has gained superstar status in her native China, breaking several long-standing records, and creating many firsts in Chinese tennis. In 2006, Li became the first-ever Chinese player to record an appearance in the Wimbledon quarterfinals, and early in 2010, she became the first Chinese professional tennis player to reach the Top 10.
With her impeccable athleticism and impressive on-court footwork, Li has aims of cracking the higher rounds of the Grand Slams, using the opportunity to play the smaller tournaments on tour in preparation for the upcoming US Open in late August.
Following her second round victory over Baltacha, Li is now set to face either Sandra Zahlalova or Angelique Kerber, who is seeded at number eight in the Danish Open.
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