Serena Williams dumps Anastasiya Yakimova to sail her side home – Fed Cup WG II 2012
Team America registered a comprehensive victory over the bleak Belarusian squad in the opening round of the Fed Cup World Group II tie on Sunday. With the former world number one, Serena Williams winning two singles rubbers, the
American squad concluded an assertive 5-0 win over the Belarusians.
The enthralling team event was staged on the indoor hard courts of DCU Center, Worcester, USA. A huge crowd gathered up at the arena to support their home side and the local competitors put up a magnificent show of dominance to
register a comprehensive victory.
Williams was included on the team at the last moment and she didn’t disappoint the selectors. She registered a straight sets victory over Olga Govortsova on Saturday night and then sealed the win for her side in the Sunday’s rubber
against Anastasiya Yakimova. She had to work a bit harder this time but eventually settled the final scores at 5-7, 6-1, 6-1, in her favour.
Rated at number 65 in the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) World Rankings, Yakimova was off to a fantastic start in the opening set but gradually lost her steam in the later parts of the game to let Williams back in business. The
12th ranked American dropped her serve in the very first game of the match but retaliated immediately in the next game to level the scores at 1-1. She stung another break point in the fourth game to regain authority in the set but the Belarusian
contestant came up with two surprising breaks of serve in the seventh and 11th games to bag the first set at 7-5.
Dropping the opening set after a close fight ignited the rage mode in American spearhead and she came out firing at Yakimova in the second set. She registered two successive serve breaks in fourth and sixth games to pocket the
second set with a breadstick, levelling the set scores at 1-1.
The Belarusian kept crumbling in the contest and couldn’t do much in the final set as well. She suffered three cracking break point conversions from Williams and was left with no choice but to surrender to the belligerence of the
former world number one at 1-6.
William’s victory over Yakimova took Team American to 3-0 invincible lead and then Christina McHale ousted Darya Kustova in the fourth rubber to enhance their lead. The American duo of Venus Williams and Liezel Huber took down
the combination of Yakimova and Kustova in the only doubles matchup to wrap up victory at 5-0.
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