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Safarova reaches Linz quarter finals
Safarova took the first set thanks to a break grabbed amid the term which allowed her to go two games atop of her opponent who could only save a break point. As for the second set, it saw Brianti convert 76 percent of service points and provided a poor 33 return one, allowing the Czech to steal her a couple of more services for a one hour and 20 minute win.
The Czech finished the game with a 52 first serve percentage, two aces, a double fault and an impressive 72 service percentage. Safarova also converted three out of four break points without giving her opponent any chance to build one.
On the other side, Brianti won 67 percent of first serve points and just 28 of return ones, adding at the same time a couple of double faults and a 53 service percentage. She also earned 48 points out of 114 played.
Safarova has now gone 2-0 atop of the world number 74 in the head to head series. Her first win comes from the 2007 Australian Open. Next up for the Czech is Romania’s Sorana Cirstea who stunned Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in three sets after surviving an early scare, 4-6, 6-0, 6-4.
Cirstea needed exactly two hours to secure the quarter final berth though she lost the opener pretty easily. The Russian broke her three times and conceded a couple of services in the first term but was unable to keep the same pace for the second term. Against the game way, Cirstea rallied past her in the second set when the Romanian kept the sheet clean throughout it.
She broke Pavlyuchenkova three times and saved two break points to push the game into a third set decider and suggest a big day in Austria. Finally, the decider was dominated by the same great shaped Romanian who exchanged five more breaks with the Russian who was desperately chasing the victory. But it was Cirstea to steal three services and seal the victory at the death.
She finished the game with a 56 first serve percentage, four aces, three double faults, a 53 return percentage and a 55 service one. Cirstea converted at the same time eight out of 14 break points, compared to her opponent who could only convert five out of 13. The head to head series between the two has now gone 2-1 to the Romanian who lost the previous meeting in Istanbul last year.
On the first half of the draw, Patricia Mayr Achleitner overcame Stephanie Foretz Gacon 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 to meet Petra Kvitova in the second round. The wild carded Austrian was broken once in the first set to lose the first lead with some ease. But in contrast with the opener, she stunned the French with three breaks in the second round, which helped her to raise the confidence and push the meeting into a third term.
Finally, the Austrian did manage to keep the same pace, going four games atop for the second time in a row. Achleitner thus broke her opponent three more times to win the game in one hour and 43 minutes. World number 105 Austrian leads the direct confrontations 2-0 with the 30 year old, her first win coming from the 2010 Zlin event.
Achleitner finished the game with a 55 first serve percentage, three double faults, a 47 return percentage and a 62 service one. She also converted all her six break points and won 86 points out of 159 played.
Said Achleitner after the game: “I had a bad start. I was very nervous. But in the second set it started getting better and I just kept fighting. I feel good about Bad Gastein. After I made the final there I had some problems with my shoulder, but in the end I’m very happy about this year. I hope I can keep this up here in Linz.”
As for the French veteran, Gacon’s showing featured a 58 first serve percentage, seven aces, nine double faults, a 38 return percentage and a 53 service one. Achleitner’s next opponent Petra Kvitova eased past Rebecca Marino 6-2, 6-2 in the first term. Winner of four titles this year, The Czech needed just 55 minutes to make the progress, breaking her opponent twice in the first term and twice more in the last one.
Kvitova came up with a 71 first serve percentage, four aces and three double faults, winning at the same time 73 percent of service points and 52 of return ones. Concerning Marino’s performance, she had a 50 first serve percentage, two double faults and a poor 27 return percentage.
On the second half of the draw, ninth seed Flavia Pennetta beat Elena Vesnina 7-6, 6-2 to meet Anastasia Rodionova in the second term. The two exchanged six breaks in the first round but it was the Italian to win the breaker at four.
As for the second set, she dominated it at all facets, grabbing three more breaks which propelled her four games atop. Pennetta won the game in one hour and 48 minutes, picking her third win over the world number 66 who she has met five times so far.
Linz Prize money and points:
Winner – $37,000 and 280 points WTA
Runner up – $19,000 and 200 points WTA
Semi finalist – $10,200 and 130 points WTA
Quarter finalist – $5,340 and 70 points WTA
Second round – $2,950 and 30 points WTA
First round – $1,725 and one point WTA
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