Sorana Cirstea, Angelique Kerber advance to the second round – Collector Swedish Open 2011
Romania’s Sorana Cirstea rallied from a set down to beat Mirjana Lucic of Croatia in their first round match on Tuesday. The Romanian woman showed her fighting spirit and wrapped up an emphatic 7-5, 2-6, 7-5 victory, in two hours
and twenty six minutes of play to step into the second round of the Collector Swedish open 2011.
In the opening set of the match, Lucic came out slightly flat-footed and struggled under Cirstea’s weight of shots. The other big problem for the 29-year-old Croat was that she could not find the court with her first serve as she
only put 44 percent of her first serves, which Cirstea capitalised on with three break of serve.
However, the second set was marginally better for the Croat, as she managed to raise her service percentage to 56 percent. The improvement mattered little, however, Cirstea managed to race towards a 2-0 lead, before sailing a forehand
wide and losing the second set with only two games to six.
Matters got more interesting in the decider. Lucic went up an early break, but the 29-year-old Croat lost some of her intensity on her ground strokes. Cirstea on the other hand, remained focused and kept hitting the ball cleanly
again. Lucic played better in the third set then she had in the first two sets, but Cirstea was still too good, winning the decider with seven games to five.
The win sends Cirstea into the second round of the tournament, where she will take on Russian Vesna Dolonts in another blockbuster showdown.
Also, Angelique Kerber of Germany needed only 57 minutes to defeat Anna Brazhnikova 6-2, 6-2 in the first round match of the 2011 Collector Swedish open on Tuesday.
The German pro has definitely gained some much-needed momentum after her straight sets win against the Swede and will look to sustain her form when she goes up against second-seeded Flavia Pennetta of Italy in the second round
of the tournament.
Kerber built a 4-0 edge in the opening set before reaching set point at 5-2 with an un-returnable serve closing the opener at 6-2. The 23-year-old continued her effort in set two, breaking to 3-2 and winning the next two games
to hold set point at 5-2, before a backhand error from Brazhnikova ended the match at the fifty seven minutes, six seconds mark.
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