Marion Bartoli dumps Aleksandra Wozniak to reach the quarter-finals – AEGON International 2012
World number nine, Marion Bartoli of France, continued with her stampede at the AEGON International tournament in Eastbourne, United Kingdom, ousting the 56th ranked Canadian contender, Aleksandra Wozniak, on Wednesday.
The fourth seeded French powerhouse took barely 58 minutes to settle the clash in twin sets, 6-2, 6-2, earning a place in the quarter-finals of the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) International Tour event.
It was the third encounter between these two competitors and Wozniak was riding a 2-match winning streak against Bartoli prior to Wednesday’s matchup. The 24-year-old Canadian stunned Bartoli in 2008 to win her only championship
title in Stanford and then in 2009 Madrid Masters to attain a 2-0 lead over her. Luck didn’t go her way in Eastbourne this time and she was completely dismantled by some exceptional hitting from the fourth seed Frenchwoman.
It was a totally one-sided contest, with Bartoli dominating every minute of it. She outplayed Wozniak in every segment of the game and breezed past her comprehensively to register her 22nd victory of the running WTA
season. The fourth seed French dropped just six points on her 67 per cent precise first serve, clinching 23 out of 29 and secured 19 out of 34 first return points on her opponent’s serve en route to victory. She had eight break opportunities in the contest
but on five conversions proved sufficient for her thumping victory. On the other hand, Wozniak could register merely one serve break in the entire matchup, squandering three break chances, to finish on the losing side in the end.
"I played extremely well today. I was really feeling my shots from the baseline," Bartoli said in her post match reviews. "That was probably one of the best overall matches I've played on grass. I played some great ones last year,
but I think this was at the same level. Hopefully I will be able to keep going like this."
Up next for the Frenchwoman is the seventh seeded Czech tennis ace, Lucie Safarova, in the quarter-final draw of the AEGON International. Safarova ousted the local wildcard entrant, Heather Watson, in the second round of the tournament
on Wednesday.
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