#AnastasiaPavlyuchenkova got her new season off to a fantastic start, making her debut at the 2019 #ShenzhenOpen with a stunning 6-0, 6-1 win over world number 76 #AnaBogdan in the first main draw match of the new WTA season. The eighth seed put up a clinical display of aggressive tennis, whereby she fired 18 winners in this 53-minute encounter.
The Russian was firing on all cylinders and looked flawless out on the court, breaking serve on all occasions while conceding just one solitary game. A change in racquet seemed to have provided Pavlyuchenkova with extra power on her shots, allowing her to overpower her fellow hard-hitting Romanian, claiming her most one-sided victory since May 2018.
A high first-serve percentage of 73 coupled alongside a 71 percent win rate on her first serves saw Pavlyuchenkova losing her serve just once throughout the match. Looking to be playing some of her best tennis, the Russian lost just 11 points on the return as Bogdan failed to find her groove; with unforced errors leaking out of her game constantly. Bogdan found just nine winners and committed 22 unforced errors, while Pavlyuchenkova blasted 18 winners and produced just a mere nine errors.
Pavlyuchenkova strolls to take the first set
It was a tricky start to the first match of the new season for both players, although it was Pavlyuchenkova who escaped with a narrow service hold with some terrific shot-making. A series of powerful returns saw the Russian jumping out to the early 2-0 lead, breaking serve without a hassle.
In the longest game of the match, Pavlyuchenkova survived by saving two break points after being an inch away from losing a 40-0 lead in the game. Bogdan looked to have earned herself a lifeline but was wasteful on her chances as she was too passive and allowed her opponent to tramp all over her.
Continuing to commit errors on the important points, Bogdan will rue her missed chances as Pavlyuchenkova extended her lead by rattling off eight of the last nine points to earn the commanding 5-0 lead within a blink of an eye. The Romanian then lost a 30-0 lead and was broken for the third consecutive time, allowing Pavlyuchenkova to grab the first set bagel.
Pavlyuchenkova seals the straightforward win
Continuing to ride on her momentum from the bagel, Pavlyuchenkova stamped her authority across the court as she served an ace to close out the opening game of the second set. A terrific return winner from the Russian saw her breaking serve for her eighth consecutive game, and Bogdan could not seem to do anything right.
Bogdan finally found life in her game — producing an out-of-the-world forehand winner at 30-30 to earn her third break point of the match. Pavlyuchenkova was unable to deal with the depth of the world number 76’s groundstrokes and ultimately gave way; allowing Bogdan to finally get onto the scoreboard for the first time.
Losing a 40-0 lead in the following game proved to be a killer blow for Bogdan, who completely lost the plot and the confidence in her game. Pavlyuchenkova rolled over the Romanian and claimed four consecutive games to grab the one-sided confidence-boosting win.
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