Li, Serena cruise on, Venus out at China Open
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Li Na of China hits a return during a match against Bojana Jovanovski during the China Open in Beijing on Oct 1, 2013. [Photo/Xinhua] |
BEIJING - World number one Serena Williams and home favorite Li Na both reached last 16 at the ongoing China Open on Tuesday but they followed different paths in respective second round matches.
Williams saved three set points in the second set and edged Italian Francesca Schiavone in a tight two-setter to move into third round while Li made short work of Serb Bojana Jovanovski 6-0, 6-1.
Having lost just one game to her at the US Open last month, Williams really had to grind it out against Schiavone at the Premier Mandatory-level event, winning an extremely tight two-setter to move past.
At the beginning of the match it looked like it was going to be another mismatch - Williams fired three consecutive aces to hold serve, then got to double break point in Schiavone's first service game - but Schiavone held, and the two kept holding until Williams finally got the break to take the set at 6-4.
Schiavone retaliated straight away though, breaking in the first game of the second set and building a 5-3 lead. The Italian even had three set points in that 5-3 game - but the No.1-seeded Williams saved them all, eventually running off 15 of the last 17 points of the set to close the match out at 6-4, 7-5.
"It didn't surprise me," Williams said. "I was definitely more surprised that I played so well in the Open, but it was a different circumstance - even though the scoreline looked much easier at the Open, it wasn't an easy match. But as for Francesca playing so well today, I wasn't surprised about that."
Unlike Williams, Chinese number one Li used just 53 minutes to take down Jovanovski, a player ten years her junior. With the victory, Li improved the win/loss record to 3-0.
Inspired by a thunderous audience, Li converted on all her six break points while never gave her opponent any breaking chances throughout the match.
"I think the key to easy matches in the past two rounds is that I don't have to always think about the qualification for the year-ending WTA Championship, as I have already got my ticket this season, so now I play matches just to enjoy," the world number five said afterwards.
Coming up next for Li is German Sabine Lisicki, the runner-up of Wimbledon this year. The No. 13 seed fired 29 winners to beat Venus Williams 6-1, 6-2 and also close the match in 53 minutes.
"Lisicki is playing solid game this season, but so am I. So I'm not worried about my next match, just give my best and it's enough," said the 31-year-old Li.
Other major second round winners in the WTA event includes sixth seed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, who eased past Monica Niculescu of Romania 6-3, 6-1, ninth seed Petra Kvitova from Czech Republic, who battled three sets to overcome American Varvara Lepcheko 2-6, 6-2, 6-0, and tenth seed Italian Roberta Vinci, who stopped Chinese dark horse Zhang Shuai at 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.
