Petra Cetkovska downs Alberta Brianti in the first round – Open GDF Suez 2012
Ranked 31st in the world, Czech competitor Petra Cetkovska defeated world number 71, Alberta Brianti, of Italy in straight sets 6-3, 6-3 in the opening round of the Open GDF Suez in Paris, France on
Tuesday. The 27-year-old needed just one hour and thirteen minutes to oust her opponent.
Brianti was first to take lead, as she broke Cetkovska in the third game and held her serve in the next game to reach 3-1. The Czech broke back in the sixth game and levelled the score at 3-3. Cetkovska got another breakthrough
in the eighth game to go ahead 5-3. Serving for the set in the ninth game, the right-handed faced some tough resistance from her opponent but finally succeeded in holding her serve to capture the set 6-3.
Cetkovska hit 58 percent of the first serves and sealed seventeen of the 22 points on them in the first set. The Czech bagged six of the 16 second service points and seven of the 17 first return points. She saved three of
the four break points she faced and converted two of the five break points she received in the first set.
The second set saw both players breaking each other on a number of occasions. After winning the opening set, Cetkovska came roaring and broke the Italian in the first game to take a 1-0 lead. However, Brianti broke back in
the very next game to equalise the score at 1-1. Cetkovska broke her opponent again in the third game to go ahead 2-1 but once again she failed to capitalise on the break of serve, leveling the score at 2-2. Both players held their serve in the next two games
to take the score to 3-3. After that, it was all Cetkovska show as she grabbed three straight games, breaking Brianti in the seventh and ninth game to seal the set 6-3.
The Czech smacked a couple of aces and 58 percent of the first deliveries, converting 10 out of 14 points in the second set. On the other hand, Brianti had a better first serve percentage as she hit 63 percent of the first
serves. However, she had a poor conversion rate as she managed to seal just six of the 17 first service points in the second set.
Cetkovska is drawn to play sixth seed Julia Goerges of Germany in the second round. The world number 21 outclassed Shahar Peer of Israel 6-1, 6-3 in the first round.
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