Sara Errani gusts away Patricia Mayr-Achleitner in round two – XXV Italiacom Open 2012
World number nine, Sara Errani, dumped the 108th ranked Austrian, Patricia Mayr-Achleitner, in the second round of the XXV Italiacom Open on the eve of Wednesday. Errani booked the quarter-final berth with straight sets
6-3, 6-2 bashing of the 25-year-old Austrian, who struggled throughout the 66-minute long clash at the clay courts of Palermo, Italy.
The top seed Italian defeated the Austrian contender three years ago in the same draw at the same venue. So, it was kind of a rematch in technical terms but a complete mismatch as far as the technique, ability and form was concerned.
Errani played the final of the clay court Grand Slam Championship, the Roland Garros French Open whilst her rival was struggling to pass the opening stage of the tournaments.
Talking about her experience in playing at Palermo, Errani said, “I love playing in Palermo. The first match after switching from grass courts to clay is never easy."
Errani, the newly ranked number nine player in the world was playing her first match with her new career-high ranking. So, it was a pleasant experience for the top seed Italian who started off with a commanding serve hold.
Achleitner looked focus at the start; calmly bagging serve games except a strong test in the fourth game. Scores tickled over to 4-3 with no drama at all. However, a small mistake at the start of the third serve game cost a lot
to the Austrian starlet. She had an open court to place the ball anywhere and win the point but she just over hit it forcing the ball to land just long.
An opening for the 25-year-old Italian was the only thing required. Errani pounced on her rival and won the following two points to win an opportunity to break serve. Under pressure, the Austrian starlet fired in the first serve
wrong and lost the point courtesy a tamed second serve. The Italian bagged the final game with no pressure and took the lead.
The second set meant to be just a matter of time for Errani. She clinched a breakpoint in the opening game and doubled the lead in the fifth game that proved enough to book a spot in the next round. In a post-match interview, Errani
commented, “Now until the end of the season I don't have a lot of points to defend, and I hope I can improve my ranking even more.”
She contests Alexandra Cadantu in the quarter-finals.
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