Defending Champion Yanina Wickmayer Defeats Former World Number One Dinara Safina In Three Sets To Advance At ASB Classic

Yanina Wickmayer

Former #1-ranked Dinara Safina of Russia pushed ASB Classic defending champion Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium to three sets in the first round, but the Belgian held firm to down her strong opponent 6-3 6-7(2) 6-1.

“We both played some amazing points,” reflected Wickmayer. “At the end of the second set, we were both playing our best tennis.

“I couldn’t say I lost that set because I played badly. She hit some unbelievable winners … I didn’t make any mistakes or give it away and I knew I was playing well.”

Other top seed Elena Vesnina of Russia, Julia Goerges of Germany and Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden all breezed through with easy straight set victories. A player to look out for might be Germany’s Sabine Lisicki, a qualifier at the ASB Classic, but a player capable of taking out a top seed should she get the chance. Lisicki will get that chance in her next match as she takes on defending champion Wickmayer in the second round.

Singles – First Round
(2) Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) d. Dinara Safina (RUS) 63 67(2) 61
(4) Julia Goerges (GER) d. Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) 64 60
(7) Elena Vesnina (RUS) d. (WC) Marina Erakovic (NZL) 62 62
(8) Sofia Arvidsson (SWE) d. Tamira Paszek (AUT) 63 61
(9) Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP) d. Romina Oprandi (ITA) 63 76(7)
Alizé Cornet (FRA) d. Sandra Zahlavova (CZE) 36 75 60
Simona Halep (ROU) d. Ayumi Morita (JPN) 60 76(3)
Greta Arn (HUN) d. Zuzana Ondraskova (CZE) 61 60
(Q) Sabine Lisicki (GER) d. (Q) Florencia Molinero (ARG) 61 63
(Q) Heather Watson (GBR) d. (Q) Noppawan Lertcheewakarn (THA) 61 61

Yanina Wickmayer

Elena Vesnina

Marina Erakovic

Dinara Safina

Sandra Zahlavova

Sofia Arvidsson

Alize Cornet

Heather Watson

Carla Suarez Navarro