Vera Zvonareva crashes out from the second round draw – Sony Ericsson Open 2012
Former world number two, Vera Zvonareva of Russia, was stunned by an eye-startling performance from the Spanish teenager, Garbine Muguruza Blanco, in the second round of the Sony Ericsson Open. Being played on the hard courts of
Miami, Florida, the contest witnessed the reigning world number nine bowing out to the 208th ranked competitor in straight sets, 4-6, 3-6, on Friday.
It was one of the biggest surprises of the tournament so far, with a top-tenner losing to a players ranked far below her. The 18-year-old Blanco put up a show of her lifetime, outmuscling through the ninth seed Zvonareva to stamp
her authority over the game. Although the Russian diva was not 100 per cent fit for playing the matchup, credit must be given to the amazing efforts of the Spanish teenager who prevailed over a top class competitor in an assertive fashion.
Zvonareva has been struggling from a chronic hip injury since the last month and also had to pull out of the Indian Wells Masters last week due to illness. It was expected that a sloppy game play from the injury-stricken Russian
but her defeat at the hands of a 208th ranked opponent was an absolute shocker for the tennis fans.
Blanco is featuring the main draw of a WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) event for the first time and her impactful start has stunned everyone. The 18-year-old delivered 61 per cent of her first serve on target, winning 26 out of
35 points on it to take the better of her Top-10 opponent. Zvonareva coughed 10 double faults to award some un-fought points to Blanco and suffered five serve breaks from her to finish on the losing side in the end.
"I was nervous at the start but as the match went on I felt more comfortable," the 18-year-old Muguruza Blanco said. "I felt like by the end I was playing much better. I was able to play all my tennis. It is really a great result
for me."
Blanco will take on the 24th seed Italian veteran, Flavia Pennetta, in the third round of the Sony Ericsson Open on Sunday.
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