Lucie Hradecka humbles Stephanie Gacon to reach the third round at Internationaux de Strasbourg
Czech Lucie Hradecka dispatched qualifier Stephanie Foretz Gacon 6-2, 6-4 on Wednesday to sail into the third round of 2011 Internationaux de Strasbourg in France.
Hradecka is having an excellent clay court season. Following her consistent performances on the Women’s Tennis Association tour, her world ranking also improved significantly. The 25-year-old made a confident start to the match as she made a serve break early in the opening set. Hradecka had another chance of breaking the serve in eight game of the set, which converted successfully to clinch the opener 6-2.
The Frenchwoman made a strong come back in the following set and broke the serve in one of the games. But the number eighth seed Hradecka kept focus on her own game and converted most of the chances that came her way. She broke the serve two times in the second set to seal the contest after only one hour and twelve minutes of play.
Hradecka’s excellent serves proved to be the real difference between the two contestants at the end of the day as she secured 88 per cent of the points on her first serve. She also dominated her opponent in the serve return department by converting 47 per cent of the points. However the most exciting aspect of her game play was her blistering serve aces. The check fired 7 aces in her opponent’s half of the court to earn valuable points.
In contrast, Gacon was unable to execute her shots to her will and leaked crucial points in the process. A large number of unforced errors by her allowed the Challenger to dictate terms and solidify her position in the match. Gacon looked vulnerable when returning the serve as she managed to claim only 28 per cent points on return.
Hradecka will be looking to continue her good run in her upcoming matches at the red clay court tournament. Considering her current form, she is certainly one of the favourites for this tournament. Anabel Medina Garrigues, who has a formidable record at Strasbourg, seems to be the only player who stands in her way.
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