Rika Fujiwara upsets Yung-Jan Chan in the final qualifying round – AEGON Classic 2011
Japanese tennis-pro Rika Fujiwara stunned qualifying top seed Yung-Jan Chan of Chinese Taipei 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-2 to qualify for the main draw of 2011 AEGON Classic Tennis Championships at Edgbaston Priory Club in Birmingham. The
29-year-old started off slowly but as the match progressed, she raised the level of her game to seal an emphatic victory.
Looking to gain control over the match, Chan made an aggressive start to the match. She served with control and accuracy and created all sorts of problems for the challenger. Breaking her opponent early in the opening set provided
her with the momentum she was looking for. She smashed a lovely forehand winner down the line to race to 5-2 lead in the set. A successful conversion of her next service game let her take the set score lead 1-0.
Fujiwara looked down and out in the opening set as she struggled to get any timing on her shots. However, she showed remarkable fighting spirit and determination to lift herself in the second set. Serving with confidence in the
second set, she took control of the points, right from the start as she gave the Chinese something to think about.
After both players broke each other once, the set went into a tie-breaker. Despite being under immense pressure, the Japanese managed to hit her ferocious forehand and backhand shots at will and she came out on top to shift the
balance of the battle.
Chan failed to handle the heat in the third and final set. She received quite of break chances but was unable to convert them and hence paid the price. On the other hand, Fujiwara kept her cool and made most of the opportunities
that were presented to her. Breaking the serve twice in the set, the Japanese earned an impassable 4-1 lead. She played in an admirable drop shot to set up three match points for her and then converted the first one to ensure her place in the main draw of
Women’s Tennis Association tournament.
Ranked 202nd in the world, Fujiwara was absolutely delighted at her win. Defeating a much higher ranked player will give her confidence in her abilities and skills. However, the most exciting aspect of her game was to
come up with her best tennis when it was required the most. An impressive 64 per cent first serve conversion also played its part in deciding the outcome of the game for the Japanese. Chan managed to win only 28 percent of the points on her second serve and
also made double faults at crucial moments, which led to her downfall.
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