Svetlana Kuznetsova eliminated Louisa Chirico in the first round of the Brisbane International on Monday. The fifth seed needed just under an hour and 30 minutes to advance with solid performance on Show Court 1.
Kuznetsova sails to one-set lead, Chirico shows signs of fight
Kuznetsova and Chirico arrived on Show Court 1 at the Brisbane International on Monday to contest in their opening match of the season. The match started out in the Russian's favor as she broke to 15 thanks to a few beautiful forehands.
In the following game, Kuznetsova was in danger of getting broken herself, but she was able to angle Chirico off the court to consolidate her opening break. Kuznetsova did not stop there. An insurance break, followed by a commanding hold for the Russian solidified her opening set lead as she raced out to a 4-0 advantage.
From 40-0 up, Chirico dropped the fifth game, handing Kuznetsova a 5-0 lead in the first set. However, Chirico remained to look fairly relaxed and at ease on court. Kuznetsova was still in control and arrived at two set points. Chirico refused to go without a game in the opener as she put together a string of points to break. The American continued her momentum to hold before Kuznetsova finally closed the first set out, six games to two. The Russian was in full control after over half an hour into her first match of the new year.
Russian ousts the American in straight sets
The second set, as did the first set, saw the fifth-seeded Kuznetsova break in the opening game. Another hold of serve for the Russian followed, and she continued her commanding performance with winners from all of the angles on the court. A bit of resistance was shown by Chirico with the American holding to prohibit her Russian counterpart from leaving her too far behind on the scoreboard. The American kept her rhythm and broke to level the scoreboard before immediately getting broken back by Kuznetsova.
From there, Kuznetsova held the momentum and confidence. She held for a comfortable 6-2, 4-2 lead thanks to her outstanding defensive skills and agility. Although, Chirico never let down as she stayed within reach of Kuznetsova, but she remained down a break of serve. The pair exchanged holds, giving the number five seed the chance to serve for the match. In spite of facing two break points in the final game, the world number nine held her nerve and closed out her first round match in an hour and 20 minutes, 6-2, 6-4.
Fifth seed's potential second round
Kuznetsova's second round at the Brisbane International is either against the young Aussie, Destanee Aiava, or Bethanie Mattek-Sands. With the Russian's success in 2016, she is carrying loads of confidence into the new season. Kuznetsova won't have a problem reaching the quarterfinal as her game is in form, and it is nearly untouchable.