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Razzano flies past Sfar

It seems Virginie Razzano still hasn’t woken up from ‘her dream’. The Frenchwoman got off to a flying start at the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships on Monday.

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The Frenchwoman, who reached the final here in 2009, was at her mesmerising best as she outplayed Selima Sfar of Tunisia 6-2 6-2 in her first round match on Monday.

The world number 24 was just too good for the veteran Tunisian who had no answers to her powerful ground strokes and delicate drop shots.

Razzno will now take on Israel’s Shahar Peer in her next match on Tuesday. Earlier in the morning, Peer stunned world number 15 Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium 3-6 6-2 7-5.

That was not the only upset of the day. Australia’s Samantha Stosur (world number 11) was given a painful first round blow (3-6 6-2 7-6) by veteran Italian Tathiana Garbin.

For Razzano, the passage to the next round could not have been easier. The versatile Frenchwoman tormented the Tunisian Sfar and later she was in a jubilant mood.

“I played a good match. It feels nice when you win your first match,” Razzano told reporters after her easy victory.

Razzano is aware of the threat Peer could pose in the next match.

“She plays fast, and there is not too much spin on her ball. But I think I must play my game first. I have to try to play my best tennis.

“So, I am just focusing on this match and not thinking about reaching the final again. We’ll see what happens. But I don’t want to think too far. I’ll take match after match is better for me. Of course, I would like to win finals...”

While Razzano gave the fans moments to remember with her elegant shot making, a career-threatening wrist injury returned to stop crowd favourite Sania Mirza of India from hitting her favourite forehand winners. The girl from Heyderabad was far from her best as she lost her first round match to Anabel Medina Garrigues (world number 33) of Spain in straight sets 3-6 4-6.

In other singles matches on Monday, world number 14 Vera Zvonareva of Russia overcame compatriot Elina Vesnina 6-4 4-6 7-5, Alexandra Dulgheru of Romania defeated Patty Schnyder of Switzerland 6-2 6-2, Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova beat Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan 6-4 6-4, Arvane Rezai of France overcame Sybille Bammer of Austria 6-3 5-7 7-5, Germany’s Andrea Petkovic beat Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine 2-6 6-4 6-3 and Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez of Spain defeated Alberta Brianti of Italy 6-4 3-6 6-4.

In doubles, Katarina Srebotnik of Slovakia and Kveta Peschke of the Czech Republic thrashed the British/Amercian pair of Sarah Borwell and Raquel Kops-Jones 6-1, 7-6, while Alisia Klebanova of Russia and Italy’s Francesca Schiavone outplayed Natalie Grandin of South Africa and USA’a Meilen Tu 6-3 6-3, and Ekaterina Dzehalevich of Belarus and Russia’s Alla Kudryavtseva defeated Ekaterina Makarova and China’s Zi Yan 6-2 6-4.

In another match, Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia and Victoria Azarenka of Belarus outplayed Ipek Senoglu of Turkey and Kazakhstan’s Yaroslava Shvedova 7-5 6-3.

rituraj@khaleejtimes.com

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