Lucie Hradecka overcomes Anastasija Sevastova to reach second round – French Open 2011
Czech tennis-pro Lucie Hradecka defeated Lithuanian Anastasija Sevastova 6-3, 5-7, 6-1 in an exciting three setter on Tuesday to reach the second round of 2011 Roland Garros Open in Paris. Hradecka seemed to have gone off-track
in the second set but then she regrouped herself and gave a solid performance in the decider to ensure her victory in match that lasted for nearly 2 hours.
Ranked 45 in the Women’s Tennis Association rankings, Hradecka looked on top her game in the opening set. With some classy tennis she created certain serve break opportunities. Breaking the serve six times in the opening set allowed
her to establish complete control over the contest. Sevastova put up a brave fight and managed to break back three times but Hradecka held on to three crucial service games to clinch the opening set 6-3.
Despite her horrendous position in the match, Sevastova showed amazing fighting spirit and determination to bounce back brilliantly in the following set. With three breaks of serve in the set she was able to gain some sort of momentum
in the match. A costly unforced error by Hradecka in 12th game of the set up three set points for Sevastova and she converted the very first one to even the set score 1-1. It was a remarkable fight back from the Lithuanian as she looked completely
down and out in the opening set.
Looking to seal the match, Sevastova started the third set on a positive note as well and claimed her service game quite comfortably. However Hradecka stunned her by securing six straight games to bag an emphatic victory. A couple
of serve breaks provided her with the much needed momentum in the match. She also held on to her serve games with ease to end her opponent’s hopes.
Sevastova was extremely disappointed with her efforts as she let the opportunities slip throughout the final set. She failed to control her nerves under pressure and leaked crucial points. Hradecka on the other hand reached a satisfactory
55 per cent first serve conversion and also claimed vital points on serve return. She used her accurate and powerful serves to great effect and fired 5 aces in the match.
Having an excellent time on the WTA tour this season, Hradecka will be hoping to extend her impressive run by reaching the final stages of the Grand Slam tournament. She reached the semi-final at 2011 Memphis and then stood runner
up on the clay courts of Barcelona. Her recent performances must have given her a lot of confidence in her abilities and game play. In her next match-up at the tournament, the Czech will face German Andrea Petkovic. The 15th seed Petkovic thrashed
out Bojana Jovanovski 6-4, 7-6(3) in the first round play.
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