Kuznetsova, Soderling sizzle on Paris clay
Source: Agencies |
May 24, 2010, Monday
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TAKING the court for a morning match to start the French Open, defending champion Svetlana Kuznetsova needed extra time to get going.
Robin Soderling followed her onto the stadium clay and was ready from the first swing.
Kuznetsova lost the first six points and first three games yesterday, then swept nine games in a row and beat Sorana Cirstea 6-3, 6-1.
Soderling, who ended Rafael Nadal's reign at the French Open a year ago, won the first nine games and defeated French wildcard Laurent Recouderc 6-0, 6-2, 6-3.
Kuznetsova, seeded sixth, arrived at Roland Garros only 1-3 on clay this year, and she drew a dangerous opening opponent in Cirstea, a quarterfinalist a year ago.
The match began after 11am, and even in a nearly empty stadium, Kuznetsova found herself a bit rattled.
"Definitely I was a little bit nervous," she said. "It was a rough start for me."
The Russian needed 12 minutes to win a game, but she was in control after that. Three times she rallied to take a game after losing the first three points.
"She was down, so she had to change a little bit," Cirstea said. "She went more for her shots, and they went in."
A year ago, Kuznetsova beat Serena Williams en route to her second grand slam championship. But she has not won any titles this year and her record is 9-9, the worst of any top-10 woman.
The tournament began in warm, sunny conditions that had spectators fanning themselves, but Soderling didn't tax himself in the heat. He lost only nine of 58 points on his serve and broke six times.
"It's always nice to have a quick match in the early rounds," the Swede said. "I got to hit a few balls. We had a few rallies. So it was a good match."
Soderling's fourth-round win over four-time champion Nadal at Roland Garros still seems shocking a year later. Soderling went on to the final - his best showing in a major event - where he lost to Roger Federer, who completed a career grand slam.
Also advancing yesterday were No. 10 Marin Cilic and No. 11 Mikhail Youzhny. Cilic beat Ricardo Mello 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1, and Youzhny defeated Michal Przysiezny 6-1, 6-0, 6-4.
In women's play, No. 10 Victoria Azarenka lost to Gisela Dulko 1-6, 2-6. Azarenka had been a quarterfinalist at three of the past four grand slam tournaments, including Roland Garros a year ago.
No. 15-seeded Aravane Rezai of France, coming off a victory over Venus Williams in the Madrid final, beat Canadian qualifier Heidi El Tabakh 6-1, 6-1.
Robin Soderling followed her onto the stadium clay and was ready from the first swing.
Kuznetsova lost the first six points and first three games yesterday, then swept nine games in a row and beat Sorana Cirstea 6-3, 6-1.
Soderling, who ended Rafael Nadal's reign at the French Open a year ago, won the first nine games and defeated French wildcard Laurent Recouderc 6-0, 6-2, 6-3.
Kuznetsova, seeded sixth, arrived at Roland Garros only 1-3 on clay this year, and she drew a dangerous opening opponent in Cirstea, a quarterfinalist a year ago.
The match began after 11am, and even in a nearly empty stadium, Kuznetsova found herself a bit rattled.
"Definitely I was a little bit nervous," she said. "It was a rough start for me."
The Russian needed 12 minutes to win a game, but she was in control after that. Three times she rallied to take a game after losing the first three points.
"She was down, so she had to change a little bit," Cirstea said. "She went more for her shots, and they went in."
A year ago, Kuznetsova beat Serena Williams en route to her second grand slam championship. But she has not won any titles this year and her record is 9-9, the worst of any top-10 woman.
The tournament began in warm, sunny conditions that had spectators fanning themselves, but Soderling didn't tax himself in the heat. He lost only nine of 58 points on his serve and broke six times.
"It's always nice to have a quick match in the early rounds," the Swede said. "I got to hit a few balls. We had a few rallies. So it was a good match."
Soderling's fourth-round win over four-time champion Nadal at Roland Garros still seems shocking a year later. Soderling went on to the final - his best showing in a major event - where he lost to Roger Federer, who completed a career grand slam.
Also advancing yesterday were No. 10 Marin Cilic and No. 11 Mikhail Youzhny. Cilic beat Ricardo Mello 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1, and Youzhny defeated Michal Przysiezny 6-1, 6-0, 6-4.
In women's play, No. 10 Victoria Azarenka lost to Gisela Dulko 1-6, 2-6. Azarenka had been a quarterfinalist at three of the past four grand slam tournaments, including Roland Garros a year ago.
No. 15-seeded Aravane Rezai of France, coming off a victory over Venus Williams in the Madrid final, beat Canadian qualifier Heidi El Tabakh 6-1, 6-1.
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