Maria Jose Sanchez outlasts Nuria Vives to reach the quarterfinals – Collector Swedish Open 2011
World number 62, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez moved into the quarterfinal at collector Swedish Open on Wednesday when she defeated compatriot Nuria Llagostera Vives 7-5, 6-1.
Sanchez sweated out a tight first set, and then mowed down Llagostera in the second to advance to the quarterfinal of the Swedish Open, where she will meet Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden.
The Spaniard took a total of one hour and fifty one minutes to ensure her straight sets victory over her compatriot. Meeting Llagostera for the first time this season - fifth in their career, Sanchez polished her head-to-head
series to 3-2 against Llagostera.
Playing her third second-round at the tournament, Llagostera started off great in the match, going neck to neck with the 2009 Bastad champion.
Having ousted a French qualifier and world number 240, Alize Lim, in a three-set marathon, many had expected that the Spaniard to give a good run for her money and for some time in the opening set it looked she would.
The opening set proved to be a stern test for Sanchez, who had a sure-fire solution to her worries, remaining on top of her compatriot and reaching the quarterfinal of the tournament.
Llagostera, buoyed with her wins over Sanchez in the past, wasted four break points in three different games as she troubled her higher ranked opponent with an array of forehand winners and gusty shot-making.
But after washing up a lot of opportunities at 5-5, Llagostera had no answer to her opponent’s meaty serve, losing the opening set with five games to seven.
Sanchez took full advantage of the tiring Spaniard, breaking Llagostera's opening serve game in the second set, and with three break of serve, the victory was rapidly wrapped up.
She scored 55 percent of points on her service, 58 percent of points on return and 56 percent of points in total. In comparison, Vives was lagging behind in every segment of the game, winning a meager 42 percent on service, 45
percent on return and a total of 64 of 147 during the process.
With this win, Sanchez has extended her year-to-date win/loss mark to 14/12 matches and now moves in into the quarterfinals of the tournament where she will meet Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden.
Arvidsson and Sanchez will meet for the first time in their careers, when the two battle for the semi-final spot here at Bastad, Sweden.
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