Zuzana Kucova ousts Kurumi Nara in first round – e-Boks Sony Ericsson Open 2011
World number 147 Zuzana Kucova of Slovakia kept the proceedings under control from the very beginning of the first set to earn a comfortable victory over world number 134 Kurumi Nara of Japan in straight sets with a 6-1, 6-2 score
line and surged into the second round of the 2011 e-Boks Sony Ericsson Open.
Kucova needed only sixty minutes to enter the second round after she subdued the Japanese player with a comprehensive victory in the end. True to her class, the Slovakian tennis ace needed only half hour to pocket the first set
with a breadstick. However, the second set started under tight competition as she failed to convert the break points till 2-2. However, Nara’s loss in concentration in the eighth game got Kucova the match in straight sets.
Able to slide smoothly from defence to offense, Kucova controlled the combination of movement and power designed to succeed in two sets. She fired a single ace, 55 percent of first serve and won a whopping 74 percent of points
on them. In contrast, Nara lagged behind with a whopping difference of 22 percent and handed over the match without much of a fight.
The 28-year-old Slovakian enclosed her straight sets victory by converting a whopping 73 percent on her service, 57 percent on return and 66 percent in total. Furthermore, she struck a single ace and two double faults en route
to 6-1, 6-2 victory. Nara on the other hand, lagged behind in every department and scored a meagre 43 percent on her service, a poor percentage of 27 percent on return and 34 percent of points in total.
Emerging victorious in her first round match against the Japanese, Kucova now marches on to meet Alberta Brianti of Italy in the second round of the e-Boks Sony Ericsson Open on Monday. Alberta squeezed past Alexandra Panova of
Russia in the first round to stay in the competition.
Kucova will enter the second round with a 1-0 head-to-head edge against Brianti on Monday. Although Kucova and Brianti can generate ample offense from their fiery forehands, their brisk two-handed backhands stay more technically
reliable. However, the only Slovakian player in the draw, Kucova will rely upon her improved game to construct points carefully against Brianti. She remains the more aggressive of this pair and might not allow Brianti to lull her into a battle of attrition
from the baseline.
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