Olga Savchuk breezes past Darya Kustova to reach the quarters – Siberia Cup 2011
Top seed Olga Savchuk tumbled over Belarusian Darya Kustova in straight sets at the Siberia Cup 2011, a final ITF Women’s Tennis event of 2011 which is taking place on the indoor hard courts in Tyumen, Russia. She earned
a 6-4, 6-3 victory over the 25-year-old Belarusian to book a final eight spot on Tuesday.
On her quest to clinch her maiden year-to-date title, 24-year-old Savchuk edged over the Belarusian, ranked 699th in the Sony Ericsson WTA Premier Rankings, on their first duel against each other.
She took one hour and fifteen minutes to secure a quarter-final spot.
A former world number 79, Savchuk confidently stepped on the Russian hard courts and easily kept her opening serve. Regardless of losing her second serve, the Ukrainian quickly counter-attacked by not only snatching her break
back but keeping remaining serves with conviction. Later, she capitalised on another break opportunity in the end and clinched the set with a 6-4 score line.
The Ukrainian starlet kept momentum swirling into the final set and got the coveted break in the second game, eventually going 3-0 up. She then held remaining serves through her marvellous forehands and backhands, subsequently
sealing the deal by winning six games to three.
Overall, Savchuk manifested a higher first serve share and saved four out of five breakpoints she came across. In addition to this, she converted three out of eight break chances to her advantage to clinch comfortably.
The world number 195, Savchuk will next confront eight seed Daria Gavrilova who dumped her fellow Russian, Marina Melnikova, in straight sets to reach this spot. The Russian wild card entrant, Gavrilova, warded off early
resistance to formulate a 7-6(8), 6-4 victory over her compatriot.
Belarusian Polina Pekhova will accompany the Ukrainian in the second round. She rallied past a local wild card enterer, Margarita Gasparyan, in almost two and a half hour long marathon. Pekhova smoothly bagged the opener
but ran out of steam in the second set. However, she rebounded in the final set and after prevailing in the third set tie-breaker, the Belarusian sealed the deal with a 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(5) success.
World number 365, Pekhova, converted one out of five break chances to her advantage and regardless of saving only two out of four breakpoints she faced, the Belarusian dominance in the tie-breaker led her triumph the match.
She will next face the fifth seed, Irina Buryachok, who crushed Dutch Lisanne van Riet with a breadstick to reach this spot.
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