Perfect birthday gift for Dr. William
Daughter Marion starts with straight set win against qualifier
Dubai: The 2007 Wimbledon runner-up Marion Bartoli handed her dad a perfect birthday present with a 6-2, 6-0 win against qualifier Ekaterina Makarova on the opening day of the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championship being played at the Dubai Tennis Stadium.
The 11th seeded Frenchwoman took time to adjust to the Russian left-hander before winning nine games in a row for her 6-2, 6-0 domination on centre court.
"It's always so tricky playing the lefties. It took me about four games to get adjusted to her style and then I was cruising," Bartoli stated.
"It's my dad's birthday and I hope I can go far here this week for his sake," she smiled.
Bartoli's father Dr. Walter has been her pillar of strength. One of the highlights of her career was when she won the junior US Open title in 2001 when she beat Ashley Harkleroad in the semifinal before staging a major recovery to edge out Svetlana Kuznetsova in three sets. It was this victory that prompted Dr. Walter to give up his job and coach her full time. "He has been with me and I hope to have a good week here," Bartoli remarked.
The highlight of the opening day however was the entry of four qualifiers into the second round of the competition. Leading the quartet was Belgium's Kirsten Flipkens as she managed a 6-3, 6-4 result against Swiss girl Timea Bacsinszky even though she had to play with borrowed clothes after her luggage was lost by the airline on the London-Dubai sector earlier this week.
Other qualifiers to advance were Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova with a 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 win against Vera Dushevina, Germany's Anna-Lena Groenefeld winning 1-6, 7-5, 6-2 against Russia's Alisa Kleybanova and 2009 Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge winner Regina Kulikova causing the biggest upset of the day with a 6-3, 6-0 one-sided win against Russian glamour girl Maria Kirilenko.
Results:
Francesca Schiavone bt Sorana Cirstea 6-2, 7-5; Sabine Lisicki bt Yung-Jan Chan 6-1, 6-4; Regina Kulikova bt Maria Kirilenko 6-3, 6-0; Anna-Lena Groenefeld bt Alisa Kleybanova 1-6, 7-5, 6-2; Anastasija Sevastova bt Vera Dushevina 6-2, 5-7, 7-5; Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova bt Katarina Srebotnik 6-2, 6-1; Kirsten Flipkens bt Timea Bacsinszky 6-3, 6-4; Marion Bartoli bt Ekaterina Makarova 6-2, 6-0.
