WTA Monterrey: Kerber, Azarenka, Muguruza and Pavlyuchenkova reach R2
The defending Monterrey champion Garbine Muguruza was forced to work hard in the opening match, scoring a 6-4, 7-6 win over Elena-Gabriela Ruse in an hour and 43 minutes for a winning start. It was another mediocre performance from the Spaniard who took just four points more than a lucky loser ranked 230th, never finding the rhythm on the second serve and facing 11 break points. Ruse grabbed four breaks to stay in contention all the time but she got broken five times to end on the losing side despite a great effort and a perfect start. Elena-Gabriela settled into an excellent rhythm right from the opening game, breaking Garbine in games one and five to forge a 4-1 lead before Muguruza took charge, rattling off five straight games to steal the opener with three breaks of serve in a row for a 6-4.
Ruse had her chances in set number two as well, leading 4-3 and 5-4 with breaks, squandering three set points on own serve in game ten and dropping the tie break 7-4 to push Muguruza over the top. The top seed Angelique Kerber needed some time to find her shots in a 7-6, 6-2 triumph over a qualifier Kristina Kucova in an hour and a half. The top seed was always in front but Kucova found the way to stay competitive in the opener, overcoming a double break deficit and pulling another break back at 5-6 to reach the tie break that Angelique won 7-4 to clinch the set she should have won much earlier. Kristina saved a couple of break points in the fourth game of the second set although that was all we saw from her, getting broken in games six and eight to send the better-ranked opponent over the top.
The 5th seed Victoria Azarenka delivered a rock-solid 6-4, 6-2 triumph over a qualifier Miyu Kato in an hour and 14 minutes, playing against only one break point and taking 44% of the return points to march into the last 16. Vika earned a break in the very first game of the match before losing the advantage after a loose service game at 2-1. Nonetheless, she secured another lead with a break in game five and served well in the rest of the set to take it 6-4. The Belarusian had the upper hand in set number two as well, giving away just five points in four service games and breaking the Japanese in games three and five, sealing the deal with a long rally in game eight to set Zarina Diyas clash in round two. The 3rd seed and four-time champion Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova toppled the fellow Russian Anna Blinkova 6-0, 6-3 in 56 minutes, playing well on both serve and return to race into the next round.
Anastasia lost 11 points in eight service games, facing no break points and scoring four breaks from six chances to extend her great run at this event. The 7th seed Kristina Mladenovic struggled a lot against a qualifier Beatriz Haddad Maia, prevailing 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 in two hours and 32 minutes, having to play against 14 break points overall. The Brazilian secured four breaks and had the match in her hands after the dominant performance in the second set, leading 5-3 in the decider before losing focus when it mattered the most, allowing Mladenovic to break back at 15 in game ten. The French girl controlled the tie break and won it 7-5 with three mini-breaks to avoid an early exit in an already miserable season. The Slovenian Dalila Jakupovic took down Harriet Dart 6-2, 6-3 in 67 minutes, securing six breaks of serve after stealing 60% of the points on the Briton's serve, making the difference with her first serve and storming into the next round.
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2WHGaeG
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