Mirjana Lucic plonks Luksika Kumkhum in the round one – HP Japan Open 2012
Croatian native, Mirjana Lucic, toppled the Thai professional, Luksika Kumkhum, in a three-set thriller at the HP Japan Open 2012 on Tuesday. She confidently marched forward and secured a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 triumph against the underdog
in the round one of the last WTA Premier Tournament event of 2012, held at the outdoor courts of Osaka, Japan.
The 19-year-old, Kumkhum, displayed a stunning performance in the initial set and cashed away her rival’s initial serve in the third and fifth game, stamping a 4-1 lead. The Croatian senior gradually started to pick up pace and
dissolved the Thai’s pace in the eighth game. However, at that point it seemed a little too late to secure any lead. Kumkhum maintained her focus and struggled hard to snatch the remaining games. Finally, she breezed past her competitor and printed a 6-4 score
line.
The 30-year-old Croatian professional displayed her better quality game play and completely turned the winning order in the following set. She brushed away her challenger and held her serve throughout the set, not even sparing
a single opportunity to her rival. Lucic speedily snatched her good fortune back and started to capitalize on the serve breaks bestowed on her. After a fierce battle, she sustained her momentum and came across by stealing the opener with a 6-3 lead.
Irrespective of her losing edge, the world number 212, Kumkhum, took a floating start in the decider. After the fourth game, the players faced a series of break points, as the two desperately wanted to secure the lead. Lucic kept
her remaining serves with composure and availed all winning lead as she stamped the final set closure with a 6-4 win.
The right-hander Croatian thundered onto her challenger by firing five aces and had a relatively better initial serve of 58 percent. She converted 35 of 47 first and 20 of 34 second delivery point. The Thai junior responded with
great composure, bombarding Lucic with five aces and double faulted five times and lost the front after the initial set. She had a reasonable initial serve of 35 of 50 first and 19 of 45 second serve points. From four break points, she snatched away just three.
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