Shuai Zhang, Jamie Hampton advance at 2011 BNP Paribas Open
Chinese number four Shuai Zhang secured an easy 6-4, 6-3 win over the Russian Anastasia Pivovarova to qualify for the US $ 3,645,000 2011 BNP Paribas Open taking place in California, United States.
The match was played in a very competitive fashion. The Chinese broke her opponent on three occasions to clinch the first set 6-4. The second set followed a similar pattern as both players exchanged breaks however Zhang was again
the more dominant as she made four serve breaks in the second set to seal the match in only 1 hour and 31 minutes.
Zhang was exceptional in her serve return, converting 60 percent of the points. She served with control and precision and her first serve conversion was as high as eighty percent. The Chinese has an impressive record on the ITF
circuit. She cracked into the top 100 for the first time when she reached the semifinals at 2010 Guangzhou International Women’s Open. However, since then she has achieved very little success in the Women’s Tennis Association arena. The 21 year old fell in
the qualifying rounds of Brisbane and Hobart earlier this year. She then reached second round of 2011 Pattaya City and 2011 Dubai Duty Free. Zhang will be hoping to do her best to upset top seeded players at the Indian Well Tennis Gardens.
On the other hand, Russian Pivovarova will be disappointed with her effort. She wasted her chances regularly which allowed her opponent to establish complete control over the match. The Russian made five double faults and her second
serve points conversion was only a mere 29 percent.
Meanwhile, Jamie Hampton of United States was awarded a win after her opponent Ksenia Pervak had to retire from the match. Hampton led by 6-3, 3-0 when the Russian took time out and decided not to continue.
Hampton took complete advantage of the situation as she made her opponent run hard for the points. Hampton won all four break points she had in the match whereas the Russian struggled to return the ball. The American was extremely
happy at her progress to the main draw. She is rising in the rankings reaching her career high of world number 129 just a couple of days ago.
In a post match interview Hampton said, “I have a lot of goals. I'd like to break into the top 70. I started at 136 and now I'm at 129. It's a progression. It takes time. It will take a few tournaments.”
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