The Germans impressed in the first round of Stuttgart! Goerges defeated Pavly in a close match: 5-7, 6-3, 6-4. Kerber passed Vinci in two sets: 6-2, 6-3. Petkovic was victorious over fellow country woman Barrois 6-1, 6-4. But the best win has to be Barthel against Ivanovic: 7-5, 7-6(4)! The first round also featured a promising duel between Wozniacki and Jankovic, unfortunately JJ had to retire due to a lower back injury in the second set, trailing 3-6, 0-1. It's a shame because she looked so strong in those first couple of games, even leading 3-1!
I couldn't believe some of the second round mash-ups, like Goerges - Stosur, Schiavone - Kvitova, Wozniacki - Kerber or Azarenka - Petkovic! Let's start with that last one.
Petkovic doesn't get an easy comeback, facing the strong number one in the second round. She did fell a little bit short, trailing 6-2, 4-2 in little over an hour. But Petkovic wouldn't be herself without a great deal of fighting spirit (even overcoming a nosebleed)! With a little help of Azarenka (who played some strange mistakes throughout the match like missing smashes or easy volleys), she broke back to 4-4. And then this happened:
The retirements due to injury may be up 50% this year compared to the same period last year, but seriously I've seen more than enough ankle twisting for a lifetime! And God, this was a bad one! She just returned from a lower back injury after three and a half months out and now she'll be gone for another three months! No Roland Garros, no Wimbledon and possibly no Olympic Games, it's just horrible!
It was nice seeing Azarenka sticking around Petkovic to help her, like Serena comforting Lisicki when she had to retire in Charleston.
You would almost forget the other awesome matches with this bad news.
Next up were Goerges and Stosur. Goerges seemed to crack under the pressure of defending her title of last year. She didn't get the best start and later on, she just couldn't pull out that amazing forehand work she usually delivers. She did win the second set 6-2 after losing the first with the same score, but in the third set Stosur raced to a 6-3 win. And I just couldn't stop laughing while the Eurosport commentators were talking about everything but the match, like Stosur wanting to decorate her appartment in Australia or the cute baby of David Taylor, Stosur's coach. Almost as fun as Stosur's personal revenge on the camera's (she served twice directly into one!).
Last, but certainly not least, the match between Kerber and Wozniacki! I was hoping for a thriller after their match in Copenhagen (which Kerber won). Instead I witnessed, possibly the best tennis play of this year. Kerber was AMAZING! There wasn't a ball she couldn't convert into a winner or knocking a ball in the corner next to the net. If Kerber had to play the Hulk, my money wouldn't be on the Hulk! Score: 6-1, 6-2 and you really can't say Wozniacki wasn't trying her best, she just was completely overpowered by the German!
To conclude, the quarter finalists: Azarenka will face Barthel (who battled strongly past Bartoli: 6-3, 6-1), Radwanska against Na Li, Kerber vs. Kvitova and finally Stosur will duel Sharapova for a desired semifinal spot in Stuttgart! Stay posted!
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