Ana Konjuh brought her complete range of shots to demolish Shuai Zhang.
Dubai - Puig won the first round match 6-3 4-6 6-4 in two hours and nine minutes
Published: Mon 20 Feb 2017, 7:42 PM
Last updated: Tue 21 Feb 2017, 4:35 PM
Olympic champion Monica Puig had to dig deep to win a compelling first round battle against gritty Kazakh Yaroslava Shvedova on a fast centre court at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Monday.
Puig won the first round match 6-3 4-6 6-4 in two hours and nine minutes to book a second round clash with Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia.
It was a match that produced some high quality tennis from both the players.
The centre court then got a glimpse into the future when rising Croatian star Ana Konjuh brought her complete range of shots to demolish Shuai Zhang of China (6-0 6-1) in just 49 minutes.
The 19-year-old Konjuh, a former junior world number one, dominated almost every point from the baseline, winning 56 of the 85 points in the match.
Remarkably, Konjuh had never won a main draw match here in the past.
"Yeah, it's my first main-draw win here. Last two years I played the qualifiers. So I'm really happy to be in the main draw this year and to keep my game like that. Hopefully I'm going to continue," said Konjuh.
The key to her incredible win over the Chinese rival was her consistency.
"I didn't make any mistakes. I just kept the pressure on her all the time. She is a great player who can play at a great level. But today I kept the pressure on her all the time and she felt like she cannot continue with my level."
Konjuh, touted as a future Grand Slam champion, will now play 2011 US Open champion Sam Stosur in the next round.
"Well, that's going to be a tough match, you know. I have never played her before," Konjuh said.
"She's the experienced player and she has been playing for such a long time on the tour. I have to keep my level with her. She has a great forehand and a great serve.
"So it's going to be really uncomfortable, especially with the balls flying high on the fast courts here. But I'm kind of expecting that and just hoping that I will stay healthy and play a good match for the experience."
In the first match of the evening, former champion Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark enjoyed the fast conditions in 6-2 7-5 win over Daria Kasatkina of Russia.
"I feel I can generate a lot of pace. I get to a lot of balls, too, which I think is frustrating for the other players that I can kind of go from defense to offense and really hurt them with that when they play a short ball," Wozniacki said when asked about her secret to success in the Dubai tournament.
Meanwhile, wild card Shuai Peng had a day to remember as the Chinese player destroyed Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko 6-1 6-1 in her first round match on centre court.
But Yulia Putintseva, the 17th seed from Kazakhstan, was sent packing (6-1 7-5) by American Catherine Bellis in the first major upset of the day.
In the second upset of the day, 10th seed Coco Vandeweghe of the US lost to compatriot Alison Riske 6-4 6-4.
Puig could have been a casualty too if her inspired display in the third set had not saved her against Shvedova.
"I think it's good to have a match in the early rounds that pushes you a little bit. Then you start getting into the rhythm," the world number 46 said.
"You know, she's a very tricky opponent and I have played her several times. You really have to be on your toes in every point in the match. I'm just happy that I got through today."
Puig, who reached the semifinals in Doha last week, said the conditions are very different in Dubai.
"Well, it is different here. The court, I feel, is a little bit faster. The ball, for me, it feels a little bit bigger and it bounces a lot more."
rituraj@khaleejtimes.com
Results
Centre Court
Monica Puig (PUR) beat Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) 6-3 4-6 6-4; (WC) Shuai Peng (CHN) beat Lesia Tsurenko (UKR) 6-1 6-1; Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) beat Katerina Siniakova (CZE) 6-3 6-3; Ana Konjuh (CRO) beat Shuai Zhang (CHN) 6-0 6-1.
Court 1
Catherine Bellis (USA) beat (17) Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) 6-1 7-5; Misaki Doi (JPN) beat Madison Brengle (USA) 6-2 6-7 6-3; Lauren Davis (USA) beat Mandy Minella (LUX) 2-6 6-2 6-1
Court 2
Raluca Olaru (ROU)/Olga Savchuk (UKR) beat Nao Hibino (JPN)/Alicja Rosolska (POL) 4-6 7-6 10-4; Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER)/Kveta Peschke (CZE) beat Fatma Al Nabhani (OMA)/Mona Barthel (GER) 4-6 6-1, 11-9
Court 3
(Q) Elise Mertens (BEL) beat Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) 6-3 6-2; Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) VS (Q) Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) 4-6 6-4 6-3;
(6) Andrea Hlavackova (CZE)/Shuai Peng (CHN) beat Chen Liang (CHN)/Zhaoxuan Yang (CHN) 7-5 6-2. Court 7
Andreja Klepac (SLO)/María José Martínez Sánchez (ESP) beat Jelena Jankovic (SRB)/Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) 6-4 6-4; Viktorija Golubic (SUI)/Kristyna Pliskova (CZE) beat Raquel Atawo (USA)/Yifan Xu (CHN) 6-4 6-2.
Today's Order of Play
Centre Court
11am
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) VS Ekaterina Makarova (RUS)
Elise Mertens (BEL) VS (4) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL)
(5) Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP) VS Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR)
Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) VS (2) Karolina Pliskova (CZE)
Not Before 7pm
(1) Angelique Kerber (GER) VS Mona Barthel (GER)
(Q) Saisai Zheng (CHN) VS (7) Elina Svitolina (UKR)
Court 1
12noon
Monica Puig (PUR) VS (15) Caroline Garcia (FRA)
(12) Samantha Stosur (AUS) VSAna Konjuh (CRO)
Viktorija Golubic (SUI) VS (10) Caroline Wozniacki (DEN)
(9) Barbora Strycova (CZE) VS (WC) Shuai Peng
Court 2
12 noon
Catherine Bellis (USA) VS Laura Siegemund (GER)
Lauren Davis (USA) )V Kristyna Pliskova (CZE)
Not before 4pm
Anastasija Sevastova (LAT) VS Alison Riske (USA) OR CoCo Vandeweghe (USA)
Court 3
12noon
Misaki Doi (JPN) VS (8) Elena Vesnina (RUS)
(Q) Ons Jabeur (TUN) VS Qiang Wang (CHN)
(13) Kiki Bertens (NED) OR Christina Mchale (USA) VS Naomi Osaka (JPN)
(4) Yung-Jan Chan (TPE)/Martina Hingis (SUI) VS Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER)/Kveta Peschke (CZE)
Court 7
12noon
(7) Abigail Spears (USA)/Katarina Srebotnik (SLO) VS Lyudmyla Kichenok (UKR)/Nadiia Kichenok (UKR)
Darija Jurak (CRO)/Anastasia Rodionova (AUS) VS Gabriela Dabrowski (CAN)/Jelena Ostapenko (LAT)
Andreja Klepac (SLO)/María José Martínez Sánchez (ESP) VS (2) Ekaterina Makarova (RUS)/Elena Vesnina (RUS)
Elise Mertens (BEL)/Aleksandrina Naydenova (BUL) VS (5) Hao-Ching Chan (TPE)/Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ)
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