Peer Sets Up Venus Clash; Groenefeld Advances
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Shahar Peer
Peer now goes on to face fifth seed and three-time former Sony Ericsson Open champion Venus Williams for a place in the third round. Peer lost to Williams in their one previous meeting in the 2007 Memphis final.
The 21-year-old Peer is making her fifth main draw appearance in Miami and enjoyed great success in 2007, when she reached the semifinals (d. Kuznetsova, l. to S. Williams). This season, the Macabim resident was a semifinalist at Pattaya City (l. to Zvonareva), a quarterfinalist at Auckland (l. to Dementieva) and recently reached the fourth round in Indian Wells (d. Bartoli, l. to Azarenka).
German Anna-Lena Groenefeld ended the challenge of American qualifier Jill Craybas with a 6-4, 6-1 victory earlier on Thursday.
The 61st-ranked Groenefeld produced a strong serving display, firing seven aces and only dropping six points behind her first serve in the 68 minute match. The 23 year old converted four of six break point opportunities on Craybas’ serve, while saving the one break point she faced to improve to a 2-0 career lead over the American.
The 34-year-old Craybas, who reached the Sony Ericsson Open quarterfinals in 2006 (l. to No. 1 seed S. Williams), suffered her sixth main draw first round loss of the season.
Groenefeld is making her third main draw appearance at the Sony Ericsson Open, with her best result coming in 2006 when she reached the third round (l. to Zheng). The right-hander will look to win back-to-back Tour matches for the first time this season when she takes on Italian No. 30 seed Sara Errani in the second round.
American wild card Alexa Glatch took full advantage of her opportunity by dismissing Switzerland’s Timea Bacsinszky 6-4, 6-1 to set up a second round clash with World No. 1 and five-time Sony Ericsson Open champion Serena Williams. The 124th-ranked Glatch recently reached the third round at Indian Wells, defeating No. 33 Carla Suarez Navarro in the second round before falling to Urszula Radwanska.
China’s Na Li secured her place in the second round after defeating Polish qualifier Urszula Radwanska 6-4, 5-7, 6-1 in a match featuring 14 breaks of serve. The 40th-ranked Na Li has enjoyed strong results in recent weeks, reaching the final in Monterrey (l. to Bartoli) and the fourth round at Indian Wells (l. to Zvonareva). The 2007 Sony Ericsson Open quarterfinalist (l. to Chakvetadze) goes on to face Canadian No. 29 seed Aleksandra Wozniak.
Argentina’s Gisela Dulko advanced to a second round meeting with last year’s runner-up Jelena Jankovic after knocking out Spain’s Lourdes Dominguez Lino 6-2, 6-4. World No. 35 Dulko reached the Bogota final (l. to Martinez Sanchez) last month and also made quarterfinal exits at Hobart (l. to Benesova) and Monterrey (l. to Zheng) earlier this season. The 24 year old enjoyed her best performance at the Sony Ericsson Open in 2004, when she reached the fourth round (l. to Dechy).
In-form sixth seed Vera Zvonareva will face Tathiana Garbin in the second round after the Italian accounted for Czech Klara Zakopalova 6-3, 6-4. World No. 62 Garbin is making her ninth appearance in the Sony Ericsson Open main draw and enjoyed her best result in 2007, when she reached the quarterfinals (l. to Peer).
