Venus Williams cripples Ekaterina Makarova to reach round three – Internazionali BNL D’Italia 2012
Former world number one, Venus Williams, devastated the Russian star, Ekaterina Makarova, with a breadstick at the Internazionali BNL D’Italia 2012 on Wednesday. She nudged up a 7-6(7), 6-1 victory against the 23-year-old to cruise into the pre-quarters
at this red clay court event taking place in Rome.
The American wildcard entrant needed one hour and 36 minutes to tumble over Makarova in their second meeting. After earning this success, Williams not only improved to 2-0 in the head-to-head series against the Russian but also inched closer towards her
44th WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) career title.
"I really had to buckle down and stop making so many mistakes in the first set. Once I did that, it was good," Williams reflected after the match. "Rome is my favourite city in the world - but as much as I would love to be exploring it, it's definitely better
to be playing in Rome. So I am very happy to be here."
Williams made a sloppy start at Foro Italico and suffered the first blow in the third game and went 1-3 down. However, she stayed focused and grasped her break back in the 10th game, subsequently imposing a tie-breaker. The American edged past
her rival in it and clicked the opener with a 7-6(7) win.
The American carried her rhythm in the following set and perfected her game. After the Russian held her serve in the opening game, Williams unleashed flurry of groundstrokes and went on a six-game killing spree. She was never challenged with any breakpoint
and capitalised on three out of seven break chances to pocket the bagel.
Overall, Williams spilled more double faults and clobbered a lower first serve share of 50 per cent as compared to her rival’s 60 per cent. However, she impressively clicked 23 out of 30 points on it and sought 10 break opportunities.
Currently ranked 63rd in the WTA Premier Rankings, Williams will next face the Australian number one, Samantha Stosur, who tumbled over Italy’s Sara Errani in straight sets to set-up this meeting. The US Open titlist broke her opponent’s serve
five times to formulate a 6-3, 7-5 success.
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