Mana Ayukawa stuns Sabina Sharipova in opening round – Chang ITF Pro Circuit 2012
Japanese starlet, Mana Ayukawa, surprised everyone after shocking the top seed, Sabina Sharipova, in straight sets at the Chang ITF Pro Circuit 2012 on Monday. She penned down a 6-3, 7-5 victory against the Uzbek to secure a place in the round of 16 at this
outdoor hard court event taking place in Bangkok, Thailand.
The 18-year-old Japanese displayed flawless tennis to upset Sharipova in their first encounter. After recording the victory in almost one hour and 15 minutes, Ayukawa comfortably advanced into the second round at this ITF (International Tennis Federation)
Women’s Circuit event taking place from 10th to 16th December.
Ayukawa made a strong impact after entering the Rama Garden Sport Complex. She drew the first blood in the second game and cruised to a 3-0 lead. The Japanese lost her edge near the end but cashed another break chance in the last game, eventually sealing
the opener by winning six games to three. She dusted away two out of three break chances and capitalised on two out of three break opportunities to move a step closer towards her goal.
Ranked 715th in the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) Premier Rankings, Ayukawa carried her rhythm in the following set. She exchanged three serve breaks before levelling the scores in the 10th game. The Japanese then got the breakthrough
in the last game and subsequently clinched the set with a 7-5 score line. She warded off two out of five breakpoints she came across and converted four out of six break chances to her advantage.
The Japanese teenager snapped out from a four-match losing streak after bagging this victory.
She will face off the local wild card entrant, Thanthita Suetrong, who dumped her fellow citizen, Patcharin Cheapchandej, with a breadstick to progress. Suetrong recorded a 6-1, 7-5 victory against her compatriot to set up this meeting.
Ho Ching Wu from Hong Kong will accompany Ayukawa in the following round. She battled past the Czech, Tereza Malikova, in a three-set thriller to advance at this event. The Hong Kong starlet required a single break of serve in the third set to carve out
the victory in almost two and half hours.
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