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TENNIS KERBER

Sydney Int’l Tennis: Kerber cruises into 3rd round

SYDNEY: Defending champion Angelique Kerber cruised into the Sydney International third round today as she targets back-to-back titles, while world number five Sloane Stephens narrowly avoided a shock loss.
The second-seeded German was made to work hard in the opening set against Italy’s Camila Giorgi but took control in the second to ease through 7-6 (7/3), 6-2. “It’s always tough to play Camila, the way she is hitting the ball. Her second serve is like her first serve,” said world number two Kerber, who had a first-round bye and is now into the third round.
“It’s never easy to play your first tournament match but I am happy to be through. Hopefully, I can go  back-to-back, but there’s still a long way to go.” America’s Stephens battled back from the brink of a defeat to beat 72nd-ranked qualifier Ekaterina Alexandrova in their first-round clash.
Less than a week before the Australian Open – the season’s first Grand Slam – she was on the ropes with Alexandrova winning the first set to love and serving for the match in the second set.
But Stephens somehow rallied to win 0-6, 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/3).
“I was, like, it’s not going to get any worse than this,” Stephens said of the first set. “So it was like  I might as well just play.
“Obviously she was playing well. Sometimes when you play a player that’s just playing like that, there  is not much you can do.”
Earlier, two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova avenged her US Open defeat to in-form Aryna Sabalenka.
The Czech, who slumped to 29 in the world after being attacked in her home by a knife-wielding man in 2016, has battled back to number eight and was encouraged by her 6-1, 7-5 win over the Belarusian.
Sabalenka is a form player, racing to number 11 in the world after a stellar 2018 and starting the year by winning the Shenzhen Open.
“She was definitely (finishing strongly). She came from Shenzhen (last week) where she won the tournament so I knew it would be a tough match,” said Kvitova.
“Unfortunately I lost (to her) at the US Open but I’m happy with my performance here in the first round.”
Kvitova, who is aiming for her second Sydney title after lifting the trophy in 2015, belted 28 winners to Sabalenka’s 11 and won an incredible 85 percent of her first-serve points.

M M Alam

M. M. Alam is a Pakistan-based working journalist since 1981. Karachi University faculty gold medalist Alam began his career four decades ago by writing for Dawn, Pakistan’s highest circulating English daily. He has worked for region’s leading publications, global aviation periodicals including Rotors (of USA) and vetted New York Times as permanent employee of daily Express Tribune. Alam regularly covers international aviation and defense-related events including Salon Du Bourget (France), Farnborough (United Kingdom), Dubai (UAE). Alam has reported thousands of events and interviewed hundreds of people in Pakistan, UAE, EU, UK and USA. Being Francophone Alam also coordinates with a number of French publications.