Svetlana Kuznetsova showed she is still very much a force to be reckoned with in her 6-1, 6-2 demolition of No.3 seed Agnieszka Radwanska. The 2009 champion was focused and untroubled as she took apart a higher-ranked opponent who seemed to freeze on the big stage.
While Radwanska currently sits some 25 places above Kuznetsova, the rankings do not tell the full story. This was a match-up between a two-time Grand Slam champion and a young pretender who, while she has doubled her haul of WTA titles so far this year is yet to convince at the majors. Not only did Kuznetsova possess the big-match experience drawn from a decade spent mostly at the top of her sport, she also boasted a 9-3 head-to-head over Radwanska, including the last five times the pair had met.
And while Radwanska is currently the third best player in the world, she failed to prove it today, leaving observers wondering whether she has the mentality to go deep at a Slam. Clay is not her favourite surface, but she looked a shadow of the player who has won three titles already this year in Dubai, Miami and Brussels. She was nervous, passive and ripe for an upset, and this was just the fillip Kuznetsova needed after a falling in the first round at Dubai, Miami, Madrid and Rome so far this year.
The 26-year-old Russian looked comfortable throughout. She stepped into the court, was aggressive – even ruthless at times – and never gave Radwanska a chance to settle her nerves. The first set was one-way traffic, wrapped up 6-1 in just half-an-hour, and though Radwanska held her own briefly at the start of the second, she folded, and the match was over in seventy minutes. The 2004 US Open champion was through, and has set herself up perfectly for a surprise assault on the title in the second week.
A stroll for Maria
In the second-round match postponed from Thursday night due to the Isner-Mathieu epic, Maria Sharapova took even less time, one hour dead, to dispose of Ayumi Morita, who at least got on the scoreboard unlike the Russian’s first-round opponent Alexandra Cadantu. The 6-1, 6-1 scoreline reflected a one-sided affair in which Sharapova hit long and hard, served well (always an important indicator of the Russian's game) and gave warning that she too will be hard to beat this year. Indeed, with Serena Williams out, her half of the draw looks relatively trouble-free, at least until the semi-finals. Full of confidence after her recent win in Rome, Sharapova has a career Grand Slam in her sights, Roland Garros being the only major she is yet to win.
Solid Sam
Samantha Stosur will be relieved to have repelled the challenge of Nadia Petrova in relative comfort, running out a 6-3, 6-3 winner. The Russian no.29 seed has proved a handful for Stosur in the past, and led 5-2 in their head-to-heads, including their most recent meeting in Indian Wells earlier this year which Petrova won 6-1, 6-7(6), 7-6(5). Mindful of the challenge, the Australian sixth seed was a picture of concentration on Court No.1 and pounced on every chance that came her way in a scrappy match that was short on rallies.
Stosur was the more enterprising, hitting 20 winners to Petrova's 10, and crucially won four of the five break points that came her way. The Russian, twice a semi-finalist here, will feel frustrated at letting the match slip away, only converting one of four break points. On such small margins are these matches won and lost, and Petrova's inability to make this a closer-run thing may explain why she has gradually slid down the rankings from a career high of No.3. Stosur moves on to a fourth round match with American Sloane Stephens in which she will be a strong favourite.
Cool Azarenka
Taking to Court No. 1 late in the dayt, top seed Victoria Azarenka was professional in her 6-4, 6-4 win over Aleksandra Wozniak, doing just enough in each set to edge past her Canadian opponent.
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