Lucie Safarova trounces Sesil Karatantcheva in opening round – Nurnberger Versicherungscup 2013
Czech star, Lucie Safarova, got the better of the Kazakhstani challenger, Sesil Karatantcheva, in straight sets at the Nurnberger Versicherungscup 2013 on Tuesday. She jolted down a 6-2, 7-6(9) success against the Kazakh to secure
a spot in the second round at this clay court event taking place in Nurnberg, Germany.
Seeded fifth in this event, Safarova warded off late resistance to stay on track to bag the title. The contestants previously battled each other at the Rogers Cup last season and with this triumph, Safarova maintained her winning
record and improved to a 2-0 lifetime in the head-to-head series against the Kazakh.
The world number 30, Safarova made a dismal entry at this WTA International level tournament. She gifted away her opening serve and fell at 0-2. However, the Czech quickly sought her rhythms afterwards and reeled off next six games.
As a result she sealed the opener by winning six games to two. The Czech couldn’t save the only breakpoint she faced but cashed three out of four break chances to inch towards the limelight.
Safarova maintained consistency in her game in the following set. She exchanged a break and dragged the set to a tie-breaker. The Czech edged past Karatantcheva in it and clinched the set with a 7-6(9) score line. She failed to
block the only breakpoint she came across but converted one out of seven break chances to her advantage to stay in contention.
Summing up the 26-year-old’s performance, Safarova took full advantage of the eight double faults her rival spilled. She clobbered a lower first serve share of 53 per cent as compared to her rival’s 62 per cent but impressively
marked 24 out of 35 points on it.
Up next for the Czech is Spain’s Maria Teresa Torro Flor in the round of 16. The Spanish challenger rallied past Brazil’s Teliana Pereira in a three-set thriller to set-up this epic battle.
The sixth seed, Lourdes Dominguez Lino, will accompany Safarova in the next round. She dumped the Colombian challenger, Mariana Duque Marino, in straight sets to progress at this tournament. Dominguez Lino recorded a 7-5, 6-3 score
line against the Colombian in one and half hour.
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