Sofia Arvidsson outmanoeuvres Ashley Weinhold in 1st round – Mercury Open 2011
Kicking off on the 1st of August 2011 was the first round of the Mercury Open 2011. This was the initial meeting of the two players; Sofia Arvidsson and Ashley Weinhold. They clashed against each other at the La Costa
Resort and Spa, Carlsbad, California. The Swede (Arvidsson) won the match with a 6-3, 6-1.
During the first set neither of the players smashed an ace, however, Weinhold’s accuracy faltered and she struck 2 double faults hitting the net. It was a bad day for Weinhold as she was not able to display her serving technique
and only managed to win a pathetic 8% in her first serve points. Even though she had performed relatively better in her second serve and attained a 55%, her total serve points were below the par. While, her defence was stronger than her attack, it was still
not up to the mark as she saved only three of the seven break points and broke her opponent only thrice.
On the Contrary, Arvidsson had luck on her side along with her experience helped her to excel in her performance. Even though her serve was not above average she had an exceptional return and was able to amass 70% in her total
return points. She won the set with 12% points more than her opponent’s.
Arvidsson won the pitch and served with great confidence as she had previously won the set. With extreme exactitude she struck zero double faults and was able to hit 86% of her first serve on target. Her return serve was very commendable
and was able to re-coil all her opponent’s shots winning an above average 59% in her total return points.
Additionally, she had a strong defence and gave only one break point opportunity to her American opponent (Weinhold) while, capitalizing on three of the four break points faced.
On the other hand, Weinhold’s performance was promoted by the crowd and she performed relatively better in this set as compared to the second but she still lacked the numbers and attained a meagre 41% in her total service points
along with a below the par 32% win in the total return points. Her defence slipped as she endorsed her opponent with 3 break point chances and was only able to save the one break point out of the four. She lost the set with 13 points fewer than the Swede’s.
In spite of her age the 27-year-old (Arvidsson) was running across the courts and had a far better performance than her 22-year-old (Weinhold) competitor. Sofia Arvidsson dominated both the sets and won with a 2-0 lead.
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