Australian Open: Angelique Kerber ultimately masters compulsory tasks with ease
Angelique Kerber has played in the second round of the Australian Open with a 6-2, 6-2 win over the Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto. (Here the game for reading in the live ticker.)
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: Jan 21, 2020, 02:48 pm
Kerber played the entire match from the start, in both sets she went straight with a break and 2-0 in the lead. The 18-year-old Italian had a chance to rebreak in the middle of the first round and fought the preliminary decision with another break. In set two she managed the second break to 3-0 then to zero.
After Kerber could not use two match balls in the 5-0 due to two forehand errors, Cocciaretto made two more games, but then Kerber was through.
Cocciaretto determined the match, played bravely and sold in some cases more expensive than the result suggests, but made too many simple mistakes - 36 in total, but at least 34 wins - while Kerber defended well as usual.
Kerber recently had to give up their last 16 match in Adelaide due to a thigh injury and was accordingly cautious before the start of the tournament in Melbourne. Kerber now meets Kateryna Kozlova or local hero Priscilla Hon. The Kiel native had won the Australian Open in 2016 and reached the semifinals in 2018. Last year, Kerber ended in the round of 16 against Danielle Collins.
For opponent Cocciaretto, the appearance at the Australian Open was the largest of her young career so far. She had made it out of the qualification into the main field, it was her first ever participation in one of the four majors, outside of the junior competition.
Here is the game to read in the live ticker.
Halep wins despite a startling moment
Previously, world ranking fourth Simona Halep had made it into the second round of Melbourne. The reigning Wimbledon winner beat the dangerous Jennifer Brady (she had won against Maria Sharapova and Ashleigh Barty in Brisbane) after a competitive first set and the defense of three breakballs with 7: 6 (5) and 6: 1. Halep now meets the British qualifier Harriet Dart.
Halep had to go through a startling moment when she fell on her wrist at the end of the first round. It was a little swollen, but nothing dangerous, but reassured her in the press conference. Tomorrow you can see further.
Karolina Pliskova and Belinda Bencic had already reached the second round in the day session. Garbine Muguruza also won - after circulatory difficulties with a strange 0: 6, 6: 1, 6: 0 against Shelby Rogers.
To the individual tableau for women
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