Shuko Aoyama ousts Karolina Pliskova in final qualies – HP Japan Open 2011
Unseeded Japanese Shuko Aoyama ousted eighth seeded Karolina Pliskova in two hours and nine minutes by surviving a mid match fall of 6-0, 3-6, 7-6(1) in the final qualifying round of the HP Japan Open 2011. The two had taken up
the gauntlet on the outdoor hard courts of the Utsubo Tennis Center in Osaka, Japan on Monday the 10th of October 2011.
The eighth seeded Czech decided to open the first round of the match but she got off to an appalling start as she was unable to battle through four deuces and eventually erred, endorsing a game to her adversary. Aoyama on the other
hand, got off to a brilliant start as she not only capitalized from an early mini break but further went on to holding her serve and took a lead of 2-0.
The unseeded Japanese again repeated the feat to secure a 4-0 lead by the end of the fourth game. In the fifth game she crushed Pliskova for the third and last time and rotated the scoreboard to 5-0. As Aoyama held serve in the
sixth game, she conquered a bagel set victory of the opening set.
Pliskova initiated the second set and this time both the players held serve to place themselves on the scoreboard at 1-1. In the third game Aoyama capitalized on a mini break and was first to take a mini lead of 2-1. She further
increased the gap by holding her serve and the scoreboard rotated to 3-1.
In the following two games the Czech held serve and as she broke her adversary, the score tied at 3-3 by the end of the sixth game. In the last three games, Pliskova shifted a notch higher and by utilizing the serve-break-serve
technique she, conquered the second set.
By the end of the second set, the players each had achieved a set apiece and opening the third set was Aoyama, who held her serve of the first game. Trailing behind her was the Czech, who too had bagged a game on her serve and
the scoreboard had rotated to 1-1. The scoreboard progressed on even terms in the following two games as the players held serve and by the end of the fourth game the scoreboard read as 2-2.
Pliskova was first to break in the fifth game and in the sixth she won on her serve to take a mini lead of 4-2. In the following two games the players again held serve and by the end of the eighth game the scoreboard had shifted
to 5-3 with Pliskova leading the game. Aoyama held serve and the broke her adversary to bring the score to level terms at 5-5 by the end of the tenth game. Eventually as the players broke each other back-to-back the set was pushed into a tiebreaker at 6-6
by the end of the twelfth game.
The toe-to-toe rum lost steam in the tiebreaker, as Aoyama took a mini lead of 2-0 and in the remaining points, Pliskova was only able to bag one point against her Japanese adversary, who rushed past the Czech to clinch the tie
breaker at 7-1. In doing so, Aoyama secured a place in the main draw of the event.
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