Malaysian Open: Jarmila Groth vs. Lucie Safarova- Semi-final Preview
Fourth seeded wildcard, Jarmila Groth will meet the fifth seeded Lucie Safarova of Czech Republic in the second semi-final of the BMW Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur. An epic battle is predicted as the top seeded players compete on Saturday night.
Groth had a tough time in the quarter-final against the sixth seed Japanese, Ayumi Morita. The Australian had to recover from a loss of one set to book a spot in the semis. The other competitor, Safarova, had an upset victory against the second seed Frenchwoman,
Marion Bartoli, in the quarter-final.
The Aussie’s impressive run in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) World Tour season continues this year. Groth set off her campaign at the Brisbane International Championships, where she was defeated in the quarter-final by the top seed Samantha Stosur.
Her participation in the Moorilla Hobart International earned her the second WTA title of her career, beating Bethanie Mattek-Sands. The Aussie is certainly eyeing extending her championship count by bagging the Malaysian Open.
The 24-year-old Czech is playing her second WTA tournament of the year. Previously, Safarova took part in the Brisbane International Championships and reached the quarter-finals. She won tough contests against Akgul Amanmuradova and Shahar Pe'er in the initial
rounds but eventually, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova ended her voyage in the tournament.
Although Groth qualified for the semi-final, she had minor stumbles on her way. The fourth seed had to face tie-breaker rounds two times in three matches. This hints that the Aussie has failed to belt serve breaks in the contest and had to drag the sets
to the tie breaker rounds for a win.
Groth got 33 opportunities to break the opponents’ serve but she cashed in just 12 times. Such inability can provide a good advantage to her opponent in the semi-final. Her serve accuracy remained considerably low but it brings less worry for her as Safarova
had no different serve statistics than hers.
Safarova’s game is quite contrasting as compared to Groth’s. The Czech is observed to be more aggressive with her game and her recent matches featured frequent forays to the net. She won a number of net points and converted many volleys while ousting Bartoli
in the quarter-final. Safarova’s attacking tennis can certainly put Groth under pressure early on and give a chance for the fifth seed to win.
On the other hand, Safarova’s aggressive moves leave cracks in her defence and the opponent can exploit these wide open spaces to push her on the back foot.
Safarova is yet to lose a set at the Malaysian Open. The Czech had assertive straight sets victories in the tournament so far, giving her great confidence to compete. It can be deduced that Safarova’s abilities under pressure are still to be tested in the
tournament. She has been dominating her opponents so far, but if Groth counter-attacks her with early aggression she may be rattled.
It is very hard to predict the winner between the two, as both players have defeated the top seeded women in the contest on their way to the semi-final. Nevertheless, it is will be a treat to watch for tennis fans.
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