Victoria Azarenka, Petra Kvitova progress into the second round – AEGON International 2011
Victoria Azarenka of Belarus defeated China’s Shuai Peng in straight sets in the first round match at the 2011 AEGON International 2011, being played at the Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club in Eastbourne, United Kingdom.
The Belarusian player undid her opponent to secure a position in the second round of the WTA (Women Tennis Association) Premier tournament. The Belarusian player, who is seeded third, remitted a lopsided loss to Peng with a 6-4,
7-6(2) defeat. The Belarusian took just a little over one hour and fifty six minutes to progress into the next round of the AEGON International 2011.
The pair had met five times in the past with Azarenka triumphing comfortably every time except for a loss in the first round match of the 2010 Mutua Madrid Open, where she had to retire due to a groin injury.
The first set was an all Azarenka show as she capitalised on her fourth break point to go ahead. The Belarusian player totally dominated the set as her lower ranked opponent was rendered clueless in losing the opener 6-4.
However, the second set did not follow the same pattern as Azarenka found it hard to overcome her Chinese opponent’s stubborn serve and volley tactics. With neither player relinquishing a break point, the second set ended with
an inevitable tie-break.
Peng was no pushover as she continued her brutal onslaught of forehand winners down the line. Ironically enough, the Belarusian took a page out of Peng’s book and served and volleyed to give herself a set point. The world number
five finally took the second set with a beautiful passing shot, a shot that helped her moving into the second round of the tournament.
Emerging victorious in her first round match against the Chinese, Azarenka now moves on ahead to face either France’s Aravane Rezai or United Kingdom’s Elena Baltacha.
In another first round match from the day, Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic battled past Anastasija Sevastova 5-7, 6-1, 6-3, in what could have been a tricky test in the first round of the AEGON International 2011.
The 21-year-old Kvitova overcame the first set deficit to beat the Latvian player and advanced to the second round of the tournament, taking a little over an hour and fifty two minutes.
Apart from a decent showing in the first set, Sevastova never really threatened throughout the whole process. She hit a single ace and 60 percent on her first serve. She completely dominated the Czech in all departments of the
game and scored four points more than Kvitova to clinch the first set.
However, the next two sets were totally opposite to the first, as Kvitova found her stride and began to dominate the match in her own style. Sevastova began to play the ball awkwardly and her higher ranked opponent returned everything
with interest and pinpoint accuracy. In the end it was 6-1, 6-3 to Kvitova as she did not let Sevastova effect her game, winning the match in just 112 minutes.
Kvitova will face either Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova or Croatian Mirjana Lucic in the next round.
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