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Wozniacki survives Cibulkova test
Source: Agencies |
February 17, 2010, Wednesday
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TOP-SEEDED Caroline Wozniacki survived an edgy wobble before reaching the last 16 of the Dubai Tennis Championship on her first visit to the US$2 million tournament.
The charismatic Dane had to summon resilience and level-headedness to fight back from 1-5 down against an in-form Dominika Cibulkova to win 6-2, 7-6 (2).
The buoyant and mobile Slovakian belied her world No. 30 ranking to get the better of some athletic baseline exchanges in the middle of the match, and was within two points of taking the second set while serving at 5-2.
"I was getting a bit nervous," admitted Wozniacki. "But I went out there and I fought and didn't give up, and felt like I was in there all the time. So I thought it might be just a matter of time.
"It's a bit difficult to play here because the ball flies a bit, but the courts are pretty slow. You have to get used to it."
Wozniacki did that by making one break of serve for 3-5 with some carefully controlled, yet still forcing drives; then she broke again for 5-5 with the help of a successful appeal to the Hawkeye electronic replay system.
Cibulkova's bubbling baseline presence had pressured Wozniacki into a counter-hit which looked as though it might have landed long, and was called out.
But the Dane's appeal to the computerized replay showed the ball just clipping the outside edge of the baseline, preventing her from slipping to 30-love down, and enabling her to get the point replayed.
Had this not happened Wozniacki might well have found herself a couple of minutes later at 40-30 and set point down rather than of 30-40 ahead in that crucial Cibulkova service game.
Instead Wozniacki converted that break point for 5-5 with an enterprisingly early backhand cross-court return of serve which landed plumb on the sideline.
Wozniacki next plays Shahar Peer, who on Monday became the first Israeli woman to compete in an United Arab Emirates state, and who scored a high quality win for the second successive day.
Having beaten the 13th seeded Yanina Wickmayer in the first round, Peer yesterday outplayed Virginie Razzano, last year's runner-up, by 6-2, 6-2.
Elsewhere, sixth seed Jelena Jankovic of Serbia outlasted Aravane Rezai of France 4-6, 6-4, 7-5; and Flavia Pennetta, the tenth-seeded Italian beat Andrea Petkovic of Germany 6-3, 6-3.
The charismatic Dane had to summon resilience and level-headedness to fight back from 1-5 down against an in-form Dominika Cibulkova to win 6-2, 7-6 (2).
The buoyant and mobile Slovakian belied her world No. 30 ranking to get the better of some athletic baseline exchanges in the middle of the match, and was within two points of taking the second set while serving at 5-2.
"I was getting a bit nervous," admitted Wozniacki. "But I went out there and I fought and didn't give up, and felt like I was in there all the time. So I thought it might be just a matter of time.
"It's a bit difficult to play here because the ball flies a bit, but the courts are pretty slow. You have to get used to it."
Wozniacki did that by making one break of serve for 3-5 with some carefully controlled, yet still forcing drives; then she broke again for 5-5 with the help of a successful appeal to the Hawkeye electronic replay system.
Cibulkova's bubbling baseline presence had pressured Wozniacki into a counter-hit which looked as though it might have landed long, and was called out.
But the Dane's appeal to the computerized replay showed the ball just clipping the outside edge of the baseline, preventing her from slipping to 30-love down, and enabling her to get the point replayed.
Had this not happened Wozniacki might well have found herself a couple of minutes later at 40-30 and set point down rather than of 30-40 ahead in that crucial Cibulkova service game.
Instead Wozniacki converted that break point for 5-5 with an enterprisingly early backhand cross-court return of serve which landed plumb on the sideline.
Wozniacki next plays Shahar Peer, who on Monday became the first Israeli woman to compete in an United Arab Emirates state, and who scored a high quality win for the second successive day.
Having beaten the 13th seeded Yanina Wickmayer in the first round, Peer yesterday outplayed Virginie Razzano, last year's runner-up, by 6-2, 6-2.
Elsewhere, sixth seed Jelena Jankovic of Serbia outlasted Aravane Rezai of France 4-6, 6-4, 7-5; and Flavia Pennetta, the tenth-seeded Italian beat Andrea Petkovic of Germany 6-3, 6-3.
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