Varvara Lepchenko ousts Camila Giorgi in round one – KDB Korea Open 2012
Sixth seed, Varvara Lepchenko, fended off late resistance to triumph over Italy’s Camila Giorgi, in straight sets at the KDB Korea Open 2012 on Tuesday. She juggled up a 6-2, 7-6(1) victory against the world number 91 to secure a spot in the round of 16
at this WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) International event held in Seoul, South Korea.
The American seed showed exceptional skills to dump Giorgi in straight sets. After recording the victory in one hour and 35 minutes, Lepchenko took a lead in the head-to-head series against the Italian and moved a step closer towards her maiden WTA title.
Lepchenko made a convincing start at the Seoul Olympic Park Tennis Center. She got the critical break in the third game and jumped to a 3-1 lead. After Giorgi held her serve in the fifth game, the American bagged the last three games and clinched the opener
with a 6-2 score line.
Ranked 21st in the WTA Premier Rankings, Lepchenko carried her rhythm in the following set. She got the coveted break in the opening game and took the initial lead. The American lost her serve twice after that but recovered again in the seventh
game. Lepchenko then exchanged another serve break and eventually took the set to a tie-breaker.
All in all, Lepchenko produced a lower first serve share of 59 per cent as compared to his opponent’s 47 per cent and clicked 24 out of 37 points on it.
The Uzbek-born Lepchenko will take on the winner of the match between Spain’s Anabel Medina Garrigues and the Kazakhstani qualifier, Sesil Karatantcheva.
Seeded third in this event, Kaia Kanepi from Estonia also stole the show later that day. She devastated the local challenger, Sung-Hee Han, in just under an hour to progress.
"I was very nervous in the beginning because I hadn't played any matches for the last three months," the Estonian star commented after conquering her opponent. "The first game was tough, but after I won that one I felt much more comfortable during the match."
The Estonian number one will face off Kazakhstan’s Galina Voskoboeva who crippled a local wild card entrant, Hyun-h*i Hong, with a breadstick to set up this clash.
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