It has begun!! The 2016 tennis season officially got underway in Brisbane yesterday with a couple of women’s first round matches. Several notable names were in action, including former Australian Open finalist Dominika Cibulkova and fifth seed Timea Bacsinszky. Let’s take a look back at the first day of the season.
Results
The match of the day saw 2014 Australian Open runner-up Dominika Cibulkova take on Yanina Wickmayer. It was the Belgian who got off to the quicker start, claiming the opening set. Cibulkova found herself in trouble in the second set when she trailed 4-3 and was staring down three break points. The Slovakian would buckle down, save the break points, and did not look back, winning three consecutive games to win the set and even the match. In the end, it would be Cibulkova holding on in the third set to take the match 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.
There was a major upset on day one, as fifth seed Timea Bacsinszky was handily defeated by Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in a lopsided 6-2, 6-1 affair. The Russian was dominant on her return, breaking the Swiss’ serve on all five break points she reached. She also limited Bacsinszky to a mere thirty-six percent of points won her first serve, only allowing the Swiss thirty-three percent on her second serve. Pavlyuchenkova backed it up with a solid serving performance, winning seventy-five percent of her first serve points and saving four of the five break points she faced to make Bacsinszky the first seed to be sent packing.
In an early match, American Varvara Lepchenko defeated Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-2, 6-1 to set up a second round clash with second seed Garbine Muguruza. Lepchenko was aided by ten double faults from her opponent. Schmiedlova’s second serve was clearly a problem on Sunday, as she only won three out of twenty-three points on her second serve in the entire match.
The three-games-lost hat trick was completed by Andrea Petkovic, who beat Teliana Pereira 6-1, 6-2. Petkovic survived ten of eleven break points she faced, while converting five of her seven to ensure the victory. Like Pavlyuchenkova, Petkovic’s return game was switched on throughout the match, winning fifty-one percent of Pereira’s first serve points and an astounding seventy-eight percent of second serve points. Despite pressure from the Brazilian to break back, Petkovic held on to reach the second round in an hour and eighteen minutes.
The final match of the day was an all-French affair between famed-giant slayer Alize Cornet and youngster Kristina Mladenovic. It was the veteran Frenchwoman taking the initiative, getting one break in each set. One break per set was all she would need, as she was dominant on serve, winning eighty-three percent of her first serve points and saving both break points she faced, never allowing Mladenovic back into the match. Cornet moves on to face Pavlyuchenkova in the second round.
More of the big names will start their seasons on Monday, including Victoria Azarenka, Roberta Vinci, Sam Stosur and Belinda Bencic to name a few.