35-ranked Zheng Jie defeated 58th-ranked Maria Kirilenko in straight sets to move into the Semi-Finals of the Australian Open tennis tournament.
Zheng needed only 33 minutes to defeat Kirilienko in the first set, breaking her serve twice. Zheng made 80% of her serves in the first set; coupled with her foot speed, this gave her set without much drama.
Zheng had too much power and perfect shot placement, running Kirilenko all over the court. Kirilenko lacked the power to force Zheng deep or to make her run.
Zheng continued her domination until the sixth game, when her concentration seemed to lapse. Perhaps it was the pressure of realizing she was on her way to her second Grand Slam semi-final.
The trouble started when Zheng waited too long to challenge a call. She lost the debated with the chair umpire, and seemed to be distracted after. Kirilenko took advantage, running up four break points, but Zheng calmed down and fought back, to hold serve.
After that, the match went smoothly for Zheng. Zheng made only nine unforced errors, while Kirilenko opponent had 22. Kirilenko failed to break Zheng’s serve, and lost more points at the net. Zheng simply outplayed Kirilenko in every phase of the game.
Zheng needed only 33 minutes to defeat Kirilienko in the first set, breaking her serve twice. Zheng made 80% of her serves in the first set; coupled with her foot speed, this gave her set without much drama.
Zheng had too much power and perfect shot placement, running Kirilenko all over the court. Kirilenko lacked the power to force Zheng deep or to make her run.
Zheng continued her domination until the sixth game, when her concentration seemed to lapse. Perhaps it was the pressure of realizing she was on her way to her second Grand Slam semi-final.
The trouble started when Zheng waited too long to challenge a call. She lost the debated with the chair umpire, and seemed to be distracted after. Kirilenko took advantage, running up four break points, but Zheng calmed down and fought back, to hold serve.
After that, the match went smoothly for Zheng. Zheng made only nine unforced errors, while Kirilenko opponent had 22. Kirilenko failed to break Zheng’s serve, and lost more points at the net. Zheng simply outplayed Kirilenko in every phase of the game.
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