Tennis: Dinara Safina, Vera Zvonareva Into Fourth Round Of Australian Open
January 23rd 2009 07:22
Dinara Safina, the No 3 seed from Russia, has muscled her way into the Australian Open fourth round with an impressive 6-2 6-2 win over Kaia Kanepi, from Estonia. Safina cut down on the unforced errors that marred her early matches at the season-opening grand slam to dominate No 25 seed Kanepi.
“Finally I played my game, compared to my first two matches, I reached my level,'' she said.
“From now I have to play like this or even better every day because it tougher and tougher openings coming up, but I'm really happy that I won in two sets.''
Making good on her stated intention of playing a more aggressive game this year as she chases a maiden grand slam, the 22-year-old set a furious pace that Kanepi could not match.
She looks a different player to the one eliminated in the opening round last year, sporting a muscular physique and no longer prone to the emotional meltdowns that marred her game.
Safina raced to a 4-0 lead against Kanepi, and 20 minutes elapsed before her opponent could get on the scoreboard.
The Estonian, a quarter-finalist at last year's French Open, tried to rally and had three break points at 5-1 but Safina had her measure and held on, serving out the set after 33 minutes.
She retained the momentum to break Kanepi again in the opening game, the Estonian wilting as Safina hit her groundstrokes with venom and mixed up her game with frequent forays to the net.
The Russian finally dispatched Kanepi after 66 minutes, claiming a confidence boosting victory as made the last 16.
In-form No.7 seed Vera Zvonareva cruised into the fourth round with a 6-4, 6-1 rout of Italy's Sara Errani, equalling her previous best performance at the season-opening Grand Slam.
It built on a near-perfect display in the second round, when she served up a dreaded "double bagel" 6-0, 6-0 score-line to Edina Gallovits of Romania.
The pundits may not be talking about Zvonareva as one of the players with a realistic shot at one of the tournament's most open women's draws for years, but she remains quietly confident she is a match for anyone.
"I'm just trying to concentrate on my performances," she said when asked if she deserved more recognition as a contender for the Open crown.
"Obviously there are big names out there but I'm confident about myself and believe in myself and that's the most important thing."
The self-belief stems from a strong season in 2008 when Zvonareva won bronze at the Beijing Olympics, reached the biggest final of her career at the season-ending WTA Championships and broke into the top 10.
But she said that was history now and she had to concentrate on her next match against compatriot Nadia Petrova, the tournament No 10 seed.
"It's a new year, a new season so I have to look forward," she said.
"I'm trying to improve every match and I think it's working quite well for me so far."
World number one Jelena Jankovic of Serbia reached the round with a hard-fought 6-4, 6-4 win over Ai Sugiyama of Japan.
AAP
“Finally I played my game, compared to my first two matches, I reached my level,'' she said.
“From now I have to play like this or even better every day because it tougher and tougher openings coming up, but I'm really happy that I won in two sets.''
Making good on her stated intention of playing a more aggressive game this year as she chases a maiden grand slam, the 22-year-old set a furious pace that Kanepi could not match.
Dinara Safina
She looks a different player to the one eliminated in the opening round last year, sporting a muscular physique and no longer prone to the emotional meltdowns that marred her game.
Safina raced to a 4-0 lead against Kanepi, and 20 minutes elapsed before her opponent could get on the scoreboard.
The Estonian, a quarter-finalist at last year's French Open, tried to rally and had three break points at 5-1 but Safina had her measure and held on, serving out the set after 33 minutes.
She retained the momentum to break Kanepi again in the opening game, the Estonian wilting as Safina hit her groundstrokes with venom and mixed up her game with frequent forays to the net.
The Russian finally dispatched Kanepi after 66 minutes, claiming a confidence boosting victory as made the last 16.
In-form No.7 seed Vera Zvonareva cruised into the fourth round with a 6-4, 6-1 rout of Italy's Sara Errani, equalling her previous best performance at the season-opening Grand Slam.
It built on a near-perfect display in the second round, when she served up a dreaded "double bagel" 6-0, 6-0 score-line to Edina Gallovits of Romania.
The pundits may not be talking about Zvonareva as one of the players with a realistic shot at one of the tournament's most open women's draws for years, but she remains quietly confident she is a match for anyone.
"I'm just trying to concentrate on my performances," she said when asked if she deserved more recognition as a contender for the Open crown.
"Obviously there are big names out there but I'm confident about myself and believe in myself and that's the most important thing."
The self-belief stems from a strong season in 2008 when Zvonareva won bronze at the Beijing Olympics, reached the biggest final of her career at the season-ending WTA Championships and broke into the top 10.
But she said that was history now and she had to concentrate on her next match against compatriot Nadia Petrova, the tournament No 10 seed.
"It's a new year, a new season so I have to look forward," she said.
"I'm trying to improve every match and I think it's working quite well for me so far."
World number one Jelena Jankovic of Serbia reached the round with a hard-fought 6-4, 6-4 win over Ai Sugiyama of Japan.
AAP
| 23 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
subscribe to this blog
Go to Craig Hill's home page by clicking here
