WTA Doha: Goerges, Ostapenko, Bertens and Mertens make winning start
In a packed day in Doha, 11 players have reached the second round to join the top-four seeds in the last 16. Lesi Tsurenko destroyed a lucky loser Lara Arruabarrena 6-3, 6-0 in 67 minutes, serving at 77% and saving five out of six break points to keep the pressure on the Spaniard. The Spaniard stayed in touch in the opening six games before Tsurenko rattled off the last ten games of the match to book the place in the second round. In the battle of lucky losers, Alison Ricke took down Polona Hercog 6-4, 6-3 in an hour and 31 minutes, saving nine out of 12 break points and earning six breaks to cross the finish line in straight sets, winning 55% of the return points.
The 9th seed Julia Goerges kicked off the campaign with a 6-2, 6-2 triumph against a qualifier Ajla Tomljanovic in an hour and 17 minutes, fending off all eight break points she faced and breaking the Aussie twice in each set to grab the win in less than 80 minutes. Jelena Ostapenko stayed on the court for an hour and 45 minutes in a 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 victory against Mihaela Buzarnescu, losing serve three times and creating no less than 20 break points to dominate in the sets she won. The Romanian lost half of the points behind the initial shot and she suffered seven breaks to hit the exit door and push Jelena into the last 16.
Su-Wei Hsieh played one of her best matches of the season so far, fending off all three break points to topple Aliaksandra Sasnovhich 6-2, 6-0 in 59 minutes, taking almost 60% of the return points to conquer the last eight games and finish the match in style. A qualifier Karolina Muchova defeated Samantha Stosur 6-4, 6-2, moving on together with Carla Suarez Navarro who lost four games against Ons Jabeur. The 20-year-old qualifier Anna Blinkova stunned the 7th seed Anastasija Sevastova 7-6, 6-4, losing serve three times but scoring four breaks to prevail in straight sets. Anna got broken in the tenth game of the opening set while serving for the set before winning the tie break 7-5 to make a big step forward.
Sevastova managed to come back from a set down in set number two as well before the Russian grabbed a crucial break in game ten to emerge as the winner and enter the last 16. In one of the matches of the day, the 5th seed Kiki Bertens ousted Camila Giorgi 0-6, 7-6, 6-4, standing two points away from the defeat thrice in the second set tie break before performing a complete turnaround. After trailing 3-0, Giorgi won four straight games in the third set to move closer to the finish line, only to drop serve twice in a row to hand the win Bertens.
The Belgian Elise Mertens lost serve only once in a 6-4, 6-2 win over Katarina Siniakova, winning almost half of the return points to control the scoreboard and move into the next round.
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2GCO2ta
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