Navratilova/Novotna, Sukova/Temesvari proceed in Invitation Doubles – Wimbledon Championships 2011
Navratilova/Novotna beat Martinez/Tauziat 6-4, 6-2
American/Czech pair of Martina Navratilova and Jana Novotna cruised past Conchita Martinez of Spain and Nathalie Tauziat of France in straight sets 6-4, 6-2 in the ladies’ invitation doubles event at the Wimbledon Championships in London on Friday.
Navratilova and Novotna needed a single break of serve in the first set to clinch it 6-4. The American/Czech pair kept their first serve percentage at 76 percent and converted 64 percent of the first serves into points in the opening set. Navratilova and Novotna grabbed 75 percent of the second service points and 38 percent of the receiving points in the first set. The American/Czech team converted one of the two break points they received on their opponents’ serve in the opening set.
In the second set, Navratilova and Novotna allowed Martinez and Tauziat to win just two games, breaking the Spanish/French team twice to claim the set 6-2. The American/Czech pair captured 69 percent of the first service points and 50 percent of the second service points in the first set. Navratilova and Novotna returned superbly as they sealed 57 percent of the return points in the second set. The American/Czech combination capitalised on three of the five break point opportunities they created on Martinez and Tauziat’s serve and saved one of the two break points on their own serve in the second set. The match lasted for 57 minutes.
Sukova/Temesvari defeat Croft/Smith 6-0, 6-3
Czech/Hungarian team of Helena Sukova and Andrea Temesvari knocked out Annabel Croft and Samantha Smith of Great Britain in straight sets 6-0, 6-3.
Sukova and Temesvari were flawless in the opening set as they did not lose even a single game, breaking their opponents thrice to win a bagel set 6-0. The Czech/Hungarian duo managed to hit just 53 percent of the first serves in the first set. However, they converted a whopping 89 percent of them into points. Sukova and Temesvari destroyed their opponents with their attacking returns, claiming an amazing 70 percent of the return points in the first set. The Czech/Hungarian team won three of the six break points they received and succeeded in saving the only break point they faced on their own serve in the opening set.
Croft and Smith took the early lead in the second set as they broke Sukova and Temesvari in the opening game and held their next service game to take a 2-0 lead. However, the Czech/Hungarian pair clinched six of the next seven games, capturing the set 6-3. The unseeded converted both break points they received on Croft and Smith’s serve in the second set. The match lasted for just 41 minutes.
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