French Open: Azarenka sails into second round
Double Australian Open champion clinches 6-1, 6-4 win over Elena Vesnina.
Making her eighth main-draw appearance at the French Open, Victoria Azarenka won her first-round match against Elena Vesnina 6-1, 6-4 after it was cancelled on Tuesday due to heavy rain. PHOTO: AFP
PARIS:
Double Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka reached the French Open second round yesterday, but Agnieszka Radwanska’s hopes of playing little sister Urszula for a place in the last-16 were dashed.
Azarenka clinched a 6-1, 6-4 win over Elena Vesnina – her fifth win in five matches against the experienced Russian – and will next face German 19-year-old Annika Beck, the 2012 junior champion, for a place in the third round. Roland Garros has been Azarenka’s least successful Grand Slam.
Having reached at least the semi-finals of the other three majors, the 23-year-old’s best run in Paris saw her make the last eight in 2009 and 2011.
But she was relatively untroubled yesterday against Vesnina, with whom she reached the final of the women’s doubles in 2009.
Breaks in the second and sixth games of the opening set gave her the foundation for victory in a match held over from Tuesday because of rain.
She was 2-1 up with a break in the second before the 28-year-old Vesnina rallied to level at 3-3. But it was a brief respite for the world number 38 as Azarenka hit back straightaway to seal the tie after 78 minutes.
“It felt good to be on the court after getting cancelled yesterday,” said Azarenka.
“It was a good win as Elena is a tough opponent. I will be back to play again but I want to be able to slide better on the clay. That’s my goal this year.”
Polish fourth-seed Radwanksa, who has never got beyond the fourth round, eased past Mallory Burdette of the US 6-3, 6-2. She had been scheduled to tackle her sister for a place in the last-16, but Urszula, who put out Venus Williams in the first round, crashed out 6-3, 6-3 to German qualifier Dinah Pfizenmaier, the world number 127.
In another match, Australian teen Ashleigh Barty, at 17 the second-youngest player in the draw behind 16-year-old Croatian Donna Vekic, reached the second round with an impressive 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 win over Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic. Czech seventh-seed Petra Kvitova and Russian 12th-seed Maria Kirilenko were also early winners of their delayed first round matches.
Meanwhile, Heather Watson, making her way back gingerly after a bout of glandular fever, slid out of the French Open after losing her opening-round match against Stefanie Voegele 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.
Ferrer eases into third round
In the men’s draw, Spanish men’s fourth-seed David Ferrer made the third round, beating Albert Montanes, 6-2, 6-1, 6-3.
And Croatian 10th-seed Marin Cilic beat Australian teenager Nick Kyrgios 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 30th, 2013.
Double Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka reached the French Open second round yesterday, but Agnieszka Radwanska’s hopes of playing little sister Urszula for a place in the last-16 were dashed.
Azarenka clinched a 6-1, 6-4 win over Elena Vesnina – her fifth win in five matches against the experienced Russian – and will next face German 19-year-old Annika Beck, the 2012 junior champion, for a place in the third round. Roland Garros has been Azarenka’s least successful Grand Slam.
Having reached at least the semi-finals of the other three majors, the 23-year-old’s best run in Paris saw her make the last eight in 2009 and 2011.
But she was relatively untroubled yesterday against Vesnina, with whom she reached the final of the women’s doubles in 2009.
Breaks in the second and sixth games of the opening set gave her the foundation for victory in a match held over from Tuesday because of rain.
She was 2-1 up with a break in the second before the 28-year-old Vesnina rallied to level at 3-3. But it was a brief respite for the world number 38 as Azarenka hit back straightaway to seal the tie after 78 minutes.
“It felt good to be on the court after getting cancelled yesterday,” said Azarenka.
“It was a good win as Elena is a tough opponent. I will be back to play again but I want to be able to slide better on the clay. That’s my goal this year.”
Polish fourth-seed Radwanksa, who has never got beyond the fourth round, eased past Mallory Burdette of the US 6-3, 6-2. She had been scheduled to tackle her sister for a place in the last-16, but Urszula, who put out Venus Williams in the first round, crashed out 6-3, 6-3 to German qualifier Dinah Pfizenmaier, the world number 127.
In another match, Australian teen Ashleigh Barty, at 17 the second-youngest player in the draw behind 16-year-old Croatian Donna Vekic, reached the second round with an impressive 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 win over Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic. Czech seventh-seed Petra Kvitova and Russian 12th-seed Maria Kirilenko were also early winners of their delayed first round matches.
Meanwhile, Heather Watson, making her way back gingerly after a bout of glandular fever, slid out of the French Open after losing her opening-round match against Stefanie Voegele 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.
Ferrer eases into third round
In the men’s draw, Spanish men’s fourth-seed David Ferrer made the third round, beating Albert Montanes, 6-2, 6-1, 6-3.
And Croatian 10th-seed Marin Cilic beat Australian teenager Nick Kyrgios 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 30th, 2013.