Victoria Azarenka stuns Pauline Parmentier in the second round – French Open 2011
Moving and returning well, the Belarusian tennis pro, Victoria Azarenka quietened a French crowd by taking the second round match against world number 105 Pauline Parmentier of France. Being played at the Stade Roland Garros in
Paris, France; the Frenchwoman was stunned 6-0, 6-1 by the Belarusian on Thursday, 26th May.
The Belarusian took just fifty seven minutes to earn one of the most important wins of her career over Parmentier, having already reached the quarterfinal spot on this surface back in 2009. The 21-year-old Belarusian held her nerve
despite a bit competitive second set and now has the chance to reach the fourth round of the French Open when she faces Italian Roberta Vinci in the third round.
Azarenka had struggled in the first round against Andrea Hlavackova of Czech Republic, a player ranked 97th in the world. The Belarusian player played very well in the second round and she certainly had increased the
level of her game.
The world number four began the first set brilliantly, breaking Parmentier’s serve to go 2-0 and taking her French opponent to deuce in her next service game. A minor shock came in the second set when errors cost Azarenka and she
was broken, but the No. 4 seed broke back in the sixth game and a straight forward victory looked likely.
Parmentier redressed an earlier Azarenka break to level the second set at 1-1 as the Belarusian’s level of intensity dropped. But Azarenka played a magnificent sixth game and broke to love to book herself in the round of 32. It
was a near faultless performance from Azarenka, who displayed magnificent athleticism to oust the Frenchwoman from her home ground.
Her straight set win over Parmentier was fairly comfortable. The Belarusian earned thirteen break point chances, and she converted six of them. She played a hard-hitting game that featured some spectacular winners, but she also
hit a staggering eight unforced errors in the match. Parmentier’s loss can be attributed to the Frenchwoman tightening up at the wrong moments and losing a lot of crucial points. She lost the match with fourteen unforced errors and a total number of 34 points
in total.
Azarenka’s moves ahead for a third round match against 30th seed Roberta Vinci of Italy, who held off French wildcard Iryna Bremond 6-3, 6-4. Azarenka and Vinci have already met each other in the first round of 2009
French Open where the Belarusian starlet ousted the Italian to grasp a lifetime 1-0 edge.
Vinci is lower-ranked than Azarenka, but she still has a chance to shake things up for Azarenka. It might be more of a fight than the rankings would suggest.
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