Shuai Peng defeats Hradecka in the Third Round at 2011 BNP Paribas Open
Chinese Shuai Peng battled past Lucie Hradecka of Czech Republic 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 in the third round of 2011 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells on Monday.
The 25 year old Peng made a very strong start to the contest as she achieved two serve breaks in the first set to lead the set score 1-0. She executed her forehands and backhands to perfection establishing a firm control over the
match.
In the second set however the Czech fought back brilliantly with a serve break to clinch the set 6-4. World number 86, Hradecka held her nerves and responded bravely to the situation despite being under pressure.
Hradecka kept the momentum going for herself in the decider as well breaking the challenger in the fifth and seventh game. The Czech had two match points when she was leading the final set 5-3 however the Chinese not only managed
to save them but also asserted a serve break in the very next game as she refused to give up. Peng showed great fighting spirit and determination to take the decider 7-5 and completed a deserving win after 1 hour and 55 minutes of play.
Peng certainly created chances for herself as she won 5 out 12 break points in the match. Her first serve conversion was also as high as 76 percent where as Hradecka managed a mere 50 percent in the department. The Chinese won
45 percent of the points on serve return which played a vital part in deciding the outcome of the match.
The Chinese has looked in great touch since the start of the year 2011. She reached the semifinals at Auckland and Hobart and then played expertly to reach the fourth Round of year’s first Grand Slam, the Australian Open where
she lost narrowly to No.12 seed Radwanska. Ranked number 36 in the world, Peng will be hoping to break into top 20 with a formidable performance at the ATP Masters 1000 event in California.
Although the Czech fired 10 aces in the match, she committed a large number of unforced errors including eight double faults for which she paid heavily at the end. Hradecka will be extremely disappointed at not making it through
to the next round after she had done so well to win four straight matches at Indian Wells Tennis Gardens. Her third round opponent, Shuai Peng looked to be in a different league as she ended her run at the competition with some classy tennis.
Tags: