Svetlana Kuznetsova defeats Rebecca Marino; advances into fourth round – French Open 2011
Russian tennis-pro Svetlana Kuznetsova made quick work of Canadian Rebecca Marino here in Paris on Friday to advance into the fourth round of 2011 French Open. Kuznetsova looked in a hurry in the opening set and required only 17 minutes to go 1-0 up on the scoreboard. The set break let the Canadian regroup herself but Kuznetsova was playing on a completely different level as she ended the match in straight 6-0, 6-4 after only 49 minutes of play.
Looking to pressurise her opponent, Kuznetsova made an aggressive start to the match and broke the serve on Marino’s very first service game. She looked unstoppable and smashed her big forehand and backhand winner all over the court. With three serve breaks and successful conversion of her own service games, the Russian took the opener in a blink of an eye, not allowing Marino to settle down.
The 20-year-old Canadian started the second on a much more positive note as she was able to hold on to her first serve game. However, Kuznetsova continued to display her clay court skills and broke the challenger twice again to earn a reasonable lead in the set. She ended the match with a clever slice that left her opponent bewildered.
Marino was disappointed with her effort as she had done so well to reach that far at the prestigious Women’s Tennis Association tournament. Admitting that she was outclassed by the 2009 Champion, she said.
“She was going so quickly between the points, it was non-stop. Everything was going and it was hard to get out of that cycle,” she added. “I guess the set break helped stop that, in a sense. But it went by really quickly, the whole thing.” She further added,
“It’s not the sort of match you want on a big court. It wasn’t embarrassing per se, but I would expect better of myself, to start the match a bit better, because I know I can play with these girls,” Marino said. “She’s a great player, I don’t deny that at all. But at least it wasn’t in the first round. I had a pretty good run here and I’m happy with the week.”
Included in the main draw of 2011 Wimbledon Open, Marino will now head to the grass courts of Great Britain where she will participate in two warm up tournaments. She also pocketed Canadian $58, 600 for her efforts at Roland Garros.
Kuznetsova played a very control game and committed only 11 unforced errors as compared to a whopping 33 made by Marino. Considering her current form and confidence, the Russian is certainly one of the contenders for the French Open title. Her next round opponent will be Daniela Hantuchova, who shattered Caroline Wozniacki’s dreams in the third round play.
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