Marina Erakovic crushes injury-stricken Akgul Amanmuradova in round two – Budapest Grand Prix 2012
Fifth seed, New Zealand’s Marina Erakovic, jolted down a 6-0 retirement victory against the Uzbekistani contender, Akgul Amanmuradova, at the Budapest Grand Prix 2012 on Wednesday. The Uzbek suffered a right elbow injury before exiting from the second round
with disappointment from this clay court event.
The Kiwi dominated throughout the match and was leading 6-0 when her Uzbekistani rival was forced to retire from the professional tennis. As a result, Erakovic not only improved to a 2-0 record in the head-to-head series against the Uzbek but also stayed
on course to bid for her maiden career title.
Ranked 45th in the WTA Premier Rankings, Erakovic thundered into this WTA International-level tournament and went on a six-game killing spree. She brushed off all six breakpoints she came across and capitalised on three out of five break chances
to earn the glory. The Kiwi penned down a lower first serve share of 54 per cent as compared to her opponent’s 77 per cent but spectacularly clicked 11 out of 13 points on it.
Amanmuradova injured her right elbow after the opening set, ultimately rewarding the Croatian-born a spot in the quarter-finals. Erakovic will face Czech Republic’s Barbora Zahlavova Strycova who stunned her fourth seeded compatriot, Klara Zakopalova, in
straight sets to set-up this date. Strycova lost her serve once but capitalised on four out of 10 break opportunities to formulate a 6-3, 6-3 victory against her fellow citizen. She took full advantage of many errors the fourth seed spilled and required almost
one and a half hour-long venture to earn the fame.
The Russian star, Elena Vesnina, will accompany Erakovic in the final eight. She stunned second seeded Ksenia Pervak in straight sets to progress at this event.
"The score wasn't indicative of how tough a player Ksenia is," Vesnina said. "She has improved a lot since last year and was forcing me to play my best tennis today. I was pleased with my serve today. I had a good percentage and made some big first serves
at big moments."
Vesnina failed to block the lone breakpoint she faced and cashed in five out of 15 break opportunities to register a 6-2, 6-3 success.
Tags: