Sloane Stephens outshines injury-stricken Kirilenko in round one – Internationaux de Strasbourg 2012
American youngster, Sloane Stephens, penned down a 3-6, 7-5 retirement victory against the third seed, Maria Kirilenko, at the Internationaux de Strasbourg 2012 on Tuesday. The Russian star suffered an ankle injury after the second set and was forced to
retire from the match, eventually rewarding a second round spot to the 19-year-old at this clay court event held in Strasbourg, France.
The American teenager lost the opening set but equalised the set scores after carving out the equaliser. However, Kirilenko endured an ankle injury after the one hour and 54-minute venture, leading the youngster into the round of 16.
The world number 17, Kirilenko enthusiastically entered this WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) International tournament and held her serve in the opening game to take the upper hand. She continued hitting exquisite forehands and plucked her entire serves
after blocking both breakpoints she faced. The seed got the breakthrough in the eighth game after cashing in lone break chance and clinched the opener with a 6-3 score line.
Stephens carried her drastic ways in the following set and after gifting away her opening serves, she went 0-2 down. However, the American equalised the scores in the fourth game and held remaining serves to get back in game. She got the breakthrough after
breaking Kirilenko’s serve in the last game and pocketed the equaliser with a 7-5 win.
Summing up the American performance in this incomplete match, Stephens committed more double faults but manifested a better first serve share of 68 per cent as compared to her rival’s 65 per cent. She also clicked 29 out of 47 points on it and converted
two out of six breakpoints she faced.
Stephens will square off against the Hungarian star, Timea Babos, who also jolted down a 3-0 retirement victory against the Latvian qualifier, Anastasija Sevastova, to set-up this battle. The Hungarian earned the desiderated break in the second game and
was leading the opener. However, Sevastova picked up an injury during the set and was forced to pull out from the tournament in just 12 minutes from the start of the match. She clobbered a lower first serve share but spectacularly clinched eight out of nine
break chances.
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