Vania King dismantles Jill Craybas in 1st round – HP Japan Open 2011
American Vania King survived a mid match slip of 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 against compatriot Jill Craybas in the opening round of the HP Japan Open 2011. The players contested for one hour and fifty eight minutes on outdoor hard courts of
the Utsubo Tennis Center in Osaka, Japan. Emerging victorious was the younger compatriot on Wednesday the 12th of October 2011.
Serving for the opening round of the match was 22 year-old American King, who expertly managed to hold her serve in the initial game and place herself on the scoreboard at 1-0. She then capitalized on an early break as her adversary’s
forehand shot went wayward and led the scoreboard with a 2-0 score. She further went on to increasing her lead by the end of the third game.
It was in the fourth game that the 37 year-old Craybas realized that she also needed to win some games. By the end of the fourth game Craybas won on her serve and rotated the scoreboard to 3-1. King not only held her serve in the
fifth game but also ended up capitalizing on a crucial breakpoint in the sixth game and rotated the scoreboard to 5-1. King was now only a game away and as she smashed a backhand winner down the line, she bagged the opening set with a breadstick victory.
Commencing the second set was the older compatriot and she got off to an amazing start as she not only held her serve but also capitalised on an early break in the second game to take a mini lead of 2-0. However, King was not ready
to throw in the towel as yet and made a return in the third game by breaking back and as she held serve in the fourth game, she had closed in on the deficit at 2-2.
In the following two games the players broke each other one after the other and the scoreboard again levelled at 3-3 by the end of the sixth game. Craybas then smashed a few un-returnable shots and bagged an easy game to lead with
4-3. She further augmented her lead to 5-3 by holding benefitting from an important break and was now a game away. In the ninth game Craybas hit a marvellous forehand crosscourt shot and bagged the second set with a 6-3 victory.
By the end of the first two sets both the players had bagged a set apiece and opening for the third round was the younger American, who skilfully held her serve and then capitalized on an early break to place herself on the scoreboard
at 2-0 and then 3-0 by holding her serve in the third game.
It was in the fourth game that Craybas made a return, though by the end of the next two games she was trailing 1-4. Tired of the chase, King took her game a notch higher and utilized the break-serve technique to bag the third set
with another breadstick victory.
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