Sara Errani dumps Maria Kirilenko to reach the quarters – Apia Sydney International 2013
World number seven, Sara Errani, rounded off the second set proceedings in just 67 minutes during the Apia Sydney International on Tuesday. She scuttled past the 14th ranked Russian, Maria Kirilenko, with a straight-sets
victory, 6-1, 6-1, at the hard courts of Sydney Olympics Park. It was her fourth head-to-head triumph in the five face-offs including this match.
Kirilenko showed a bit of nerves at the start and that cost her opening breakpoint of the match. She went down a trail of 0-2 courtesy a commanding serve hold to love for the Italian superstar. The 25-year-old Russian stumbled
apart during the fifth game of the contest when she played a miserable backhand that smacked across the throat of the net and allowed her opponent to take a massive lead of 4-1.
Errani, on the other hand, was sublime as ever. She played some mesmerizing ground strokes coupled with a decent command on serves. She was under the cosh in the fourth game but dug deep to protect the breakthrough won in the first
game of the match. The contest completely turned one-sided after the second break serve for the 25-year-old Italian who clinched the opening set with a combo of serve hold and a breakpoint.
Kirilenko needed a strong start to put the third seed Italian under pressure but she failed to do so. The Italian clinched a breakpoint in the second game and mounted a humongous lead of 4-0 courtesy to another serve break. Things
looked pretty ordinary for the Russian blonde who was no way near her fantastic run of play that she showed at the start of the current season.
She won a breakpoint in the fifth game but to her distress, Errani sneaked a breakthrough back in the following game that almost ended the desire in the Russian star to fight back. Scores moved on to 5-1 in favour of the Italian
who prepared herself to serve for the set.
Kirilenko showed a bit of aggression towards the end but it was a bit too late. She squandered an opportunity to break serve and failed to keep the match alive. Errani will play Dominika Cibulkova in the quarter-final of the contest.
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