Abierto GNP Seguros, Monterrey
[25] Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) vs. [44] Alize Cornet (FRA)
Suarez Navarro showed us why she was once ranked in the top 10. Her lethal backhand was used to perfection tonight in dismantling Cornet in under an hour. She was relentless and there was no hesitation in her game, indicating that she was full of confidence.
4:4 was their head-to-head before this match, with Suarez Navarro winning their last encounter. The trouble with beating your opponent so convincingly in the first set is the realization that your opponent will usually put up more resistance in the next set. Therefore, your job is to maintain the level of play just in case your opponent gets their game going otherwise, you can conceivably lose the match after an impressive start. Suarez Navarro maintained her level of play in the second set. Although there was a slight hiccough, she regrouped quickly to win the match 6-1, 6-1 and advanced to her first semifinal of the 2017 season.
[12] Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) vs. [66] Jelena Ostapenko (LAT)
Ostapenko played power tennis to defeat Wozniacki, who was a tad low on energy. That was perhaps expected given the fact that she played two matches yesterday. I was surprised that Ostapenko stayed calm the entire match, she is known for being moody when things aren’t going her way and slipping into a teenage funk; however, tonight she was for the most part relatively composed. I must say I was rather impressed by the pace of her shots and so was Wozniacki who was caught flat-footed a few times in the match. She was relentless and never gave Wozniacki an opportunity to get comfortable. Mentally, she stayed positive and played her style of tennis to win 6-2, 6-4.
SOURCE OF IMAGES: Bing search/Red-Crucero
