Monica Puig outsmarts Amra Sadikovic to reach the main draw – Whirlpool Monterrey Open 2012
Qualifying fifth seed, Monica Puig, edged past the Swiss competitor, Amra Sadikovic, in straight sets at the Whirlpool Monterrey Open 2012 on Monday. She manipulated a 7-6(6), 6-2 success against the Macedonia-born Sadikovic to advance into the main draw at this hard court tournament held in Monterrey, Mexico.
The Puerto Rican took one hour and 36-minutes to stomp over Sadikovic in their first meeting at this WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) International tournament taking place from 20th to 26th February. As a result she booked a spot in the main draw of this event.
The 18-year-old made a nervy start at the Sierra Madre Tennis Club and gifted away her serve in the fourth game. However, she stayed focused and snatched her break back in the very next game. Puig then exchanged two serve breaks and took the set to a tie-breaker. She prevailed in it and consequently registered a 7-6(6) score line. The Puerto Rican brushed off one out of four breakpoints she encountered but converted three out of five break chances to her advantage.
World number 190 raised the level of her game in the following set and swiped entire serves after dusting away all three breakpoints she came across. She then cashed in both break opportunities and pulled out the set by winning six games to two. Puig earned the first break in the fourth game and then capitalised on her second break chance in the last game.
The Puerto Rican will face a tough challenge in the opening round. She will confront the eighth seed, Lourdes Dominguez Lino, who is in good shape this season.
Qualifying top seed, Sessil Karatantcheva, will assist Puig into the main draw. The Kazakh warded off all six breakpoints she encountered in the opening set and assertively kept her entire serves against Slovakia’s Romana Tabak. She then cashed in two out of three break chances to formulate a 6-2 win.
The 22-year-old went out of control in the second set. She blasted massive groundstrokes and reeled off the opening five games in a row. Apart from losing her serve in the sixth game, she broke Tabak’s serve once more and bagged the breadstick. Karatantcheva failed to save the only breakpoint she encountered but converted four out of six break opportunities to her advantage.
Karatantcheva will duel her fellow citizen, Yaroslava Shvedova, for a shot to grab her maiden WTA title. However, she needs to spill fewer errors and double faults to progress into the second round.
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