Kuznetsova, Wickmayer Win At UNICEF Open
By Matt Hursch
(June 15, 2011) With top seed Kim Clijsters out of the draw following a second round loss in s’-Hertogenbosch, the rest of the field has a great opportunity to create some positive momentum going into Wimbledon.
On Wednesday, the big names remaining in the Netherlands took advantage of their opportunity, advancing to the quarterfinals in closely contested matches against unseeded but tough opponents.
Second-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova faced a difficult second-round opponent in 35th-ranked Sara Errani, but the Russian rallied from a set down to win 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-1.
After looking overmatched in the first set, Kuznetsova elevated her game to match her opponent in the second set. Although she fought off six break points in the eighth game of the second set, Kuznetsova eventually surrendered a break to her Italian opponent to go down 3-5 with Errani serving for the match.
Despite the deficit, Kuznetsova broke right back, bringing the two players back on serve in a set she would eventually win in a tiebreaker. The break seemed to give the World No. 12 the edge she needed for the rest of the match.
“I have confidence in myself and my game,” Kuznetsova said. “I knew if I could turn it on, I could win it from any score.”
On serve in the second set, Wickmayer’s mishit return struck the Belgian in the eye, leaving her visibly shaken. Although she looked visibly shaken by the injury and lost the second set, the 21 year old grabbed a vital break in the latter part of the third set to stave off the upset and advance past her Spanish opponent.
However, fourth-seeded Flavia Pennetta did not complete her bid into the quarterfinals, losing to 59th-ranked Jelena Dokic 6-3, 6-4. The 21st-ranked Italian has not reached the quarterfinals of a WTA tournament since February, when she lost to Caroline Wozniacki in Qatar.
Quarterfinal play in s’-Hertogenbosch will begin on Thursday, when Vinci faces Wickmayer and Kuznetsova plays Cibulkova.