Kurumi Nara (Photo: Chris Levy @Tennis_Shots for TennisEastCoast.com)
WTA Quarterfinals a Speedy Affair @CitiOpen Friday
Stephan Fogleman, Tennis East Coast
It was almost over before it began. In a little more than two and a half hours, three WTA quarterfinals were decided in straight sets and another was actually over before it began via retirement. The speedy results quickly determined tomorrow’s semifinal match-ups.
Nara continued to surprise many American tennis fans again today with a 6-3, 6-1 trouncing of Kristina Mladenovic, who played poorly and seemed a little surpised herself. With 5 double faults and a 48% first serve percentage, there was almost nothing positive for her to take out of the match. Nara doesn’t seem to exude the least bit of nerves this week.
Marina Erakovic continued her great week and Bojana Jovanovski ceded the match to Erakovic with double faults and five breaks of serve.
That sets up Erakovic-Nara and Nara is the clear favorite.
Sveta Kuznetsova won in a walkover against Vania King, who suffered a right hip injury. After the match, King explained that she felt some pressure on the hip last night and knew this morning that it would be unwise to proceed. Since King is not playing in Montreal next week, she should be healthy to play in Cincinnati the following week.
Ekaterina Makarova beat 2012 Citi Open Finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-6 (3), 6-3 in a tale of two sets. Pavs did almost everything right in the first set except win the tiebreak. After that, as often is the case, the winds come right out of the sails in the second set. They did, and Makarova, the top remaining seed, walked away with the win.
Tomorrow WTA semifinals are docketed with Kurumi Nara taking on Marina Erakovic at 1 p.m. on the Grandstand and Svetlana Kuznetsova and Ekaterina Makarova graced with a Stadium Court hit at 9:15 p.m.
–S. Fogleman
Tennis Atlantic 