Marion Bartoli vs. Lucie Safarova - BMW Malaysian Open - Preview
Second seed Marion Bartoli takes on the fifth seeded Czech Lucie Safarova in the quarter-final of the BMW Malaysian Open on Friday. The match promises to be an interesting contest as both players are in sublime form.
After a stiff contest, Safarova won her second round match against the former World number one, Dinara Safina, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 to make it into the quarter-finals. The Frenchwoman Bartoli simply blew away her second round competitor Ekaterina Ivanova in straight
sets 6-2, 6-1.
Looking at the performances of both women in the initial rounds, the chances of a French victory are very high. Her dominant wins against Marina Elena Camerin and Ivanova suggest the top form she currently enjoys. Bartoli has lost just four games in the
two matches of the tournament.
The second seed’s powerful serve is her primary weapon. Bartoli had not been broken in the tournament so far. This depicts how accurate and impactful her serve is. She has delivered 60 percent of her serve so far in the tournament but her points winning
proficiency is phenomenal. Safarova will have to overcome the French serve if she desires any success in the quarter-final.
Safarova has quite a contrasting game as compared to Bartoli’s. The fifth seed doesn’t rely on her serve a lot but she concentrates more on aggressive shot making. Her recent matches featured frequent forays to the net, winning plenty of volleys. Surely
she will need a lot of aggression against the in-form Bartoli, but an improvement in her serve quality is certainly required.
While Bartoli has been cruising through her initial matches in the tournament, Safarova strained a little en route to the quarter-final. The fifth seed had a hard fought first set against Zarina Diyas in the first round, 7-5. In her recent contest against
Safina, Safarova had to bounce back in the game after losing the second set to her opponent. This hints that the Czech tends to lose her composure during the matches. This could prove to be a setback against a strong competitor like Bartoli.
There are certain similarities among the two competitors regarding their baseline defence. Safarova doesn’t hesitate to go for high risk manoeuvres in the game, exposing wide cracks for the opponents to exploit. This attacking game plan certainly makes her
defence bleak.
On the other hand, Bartoli is a slow mover during the matches, relying more on her powerful serve. She tries to orchestrate most of the rallies in the contest while making minimum feet movement. This leaves the two women an equal opportunity to exploit the
baseline defences of the opponent.
Safarova had a good start to the WTA World Tour season and reached the quarter-final of 2011 Brisbane International, defeating tough competitors like Akgul Amanmuradova and Shahar Pe'er. She was beaten in the quarter-final at the hands of Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
but Safarova certainly will not want the similar outcome at the Malaysian Open.
Bartoli, on the other hand, has registered quarterfinal runs or more so far into the season though she has failed to clinch a title yet. The Frenchwoman will be eyeing to bag her tenth career title in Kuala Lumpur.
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