Djokovic off to flying start in China Open

Serena claims an unconvincing 6-4, 7-5 win over Schiavone.

BEIJING: World number one Novak Djokovic kicked off the defence of his China Open title with a ruthless 6-0, 6-3 first round win over Lukas Rosol yesterday.

Djokovic, who could lose his number one ranking to Rafael Nadal this week, needed just 54 minutes to crush his Czech opponent’s resistance, without double-faulting even once in a dominant display. The Serb, aiming for his fourth China Open title in five years after missing the 2011 tournament through injury, went into the match with a perfect 14-0 record in the event.

Meanwhile, Nadal faced slightly more resistance from Santiago Giraldo, with the Spaniard claiming a 6-2, 6-4 win in about 90 minutes. The second seed will now face German Philipp Kohlschreiber, while Djokovic will meet Spain’s Fernando Verdasco in the second round.

Fifth-seed Richard Gasquet and sixth-seed Stanislas Wawrinka both safely negotiated their way through. France’s Gasquet defeated Florian Mayer of Germany 6-3, 7-6 (7/2), while Switzerland’s Wawrinka needed three sets to overcome Italian Andreas Seppi 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Verdasco claimed victory over Somdev Devvarman of India 7-6 (8/6), 6-3 and American Sam Querrey defeated Mikhail Youzhny of Russia 7-6 (7/3), 6-3. Serena through to third round Serena Williams stumbled her way through to the third round of the China Open yesterday, claiming victory over Francesca Schiavone in two unconvincing sets.

The world number one appeared agitated at times during her 6-4, 7-5 victory over the Italian, shouting at herself over lost points. The top seed was forced to become more aggressive during the match, but seemed calmer – and quieter – as she closed in on victory. “I was able to save some energy, so I started walking slower and taking my time more,” Serena told reporters after the match. “When I did that, I actually won three or four games in a row.

Earlier, the 32-year-old and her sister Venus suffered a disappointing first-round exit in the doubles competition against Taiwan’s Chan Hao-Ching and American Liezel Huber. Elsewhere, 12th-seed Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro defeated American Lauren Davis 6-4, 6-2 to book her place in the third round of the women’s singles competition.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 2^nd, 2013.

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