TENNIS- Sara Errani edged Daniela Hantukova with 6-4 7-6 (7-4) after a tight match. The first set saw both players trading breaks for six consecutive games from 1-1. In the ninth game Errani saved three break points before breaking in the hard-fought 52.minute 10th game at the third opportunity for 6-4 after Hantukova sent her forehand wide Diego Sampaolo
Errani fought back from 2-5 down to draw level to 5-5 in the second set by recovering one of the breaks with a couple of backhands.
In the tie-break Hantukhova got a mini-break with a down-the-line return but the Italian, who finished runner-up last year to Serena Williams, reeled off five consecutive points before clinching the second set tie-break with 7-4 to the delight of the Italian crowd.
Errani his 16 winners to 16 unforced errors, while Hanuckova produced 43 winners but committed 41 unforced errors.
“I am not happy with my match but the most important was to win”, said Errani.
Errani will face Christina McHale who upset Barbora Strykova 7-6 (7-5) 7-1.
Angelique Kerber, who won two clay tournaments this year in Charleston and Stuttgart but suffered an early defeat against Sam Stosur in Madrid, beat Alizé Cornet 6-4 6-2 After three consecutive breaks Kerber reeled off four consecutive games from 3-2 to win the first set with 6-2. The player from Bremen broke early in the second set and held her service games until 5-3 before breaking serve to love in the final game
Venus Williams beat 19-year-old Katerina Siniakova 6-2 6-2. After a very long first game which lasted 16 minutes and featured 10 deuces Venus pulled away to 4-1 en route to winning the first set with 6-2.Venus, who is playing for the 11th time in Rome, cruised to 6-2 after half and hour. Venus could meet Flavia Pennetta, if the Italian beats Elina Svitolina.
Swiss Timea Bacsinskiy eased past Karolina Pliskova 6-4 6-0 in a match between two revelations of the WTA season. Pliskova broke for 4-3 in the first set but the Swiss player reeled off nine consecutive games to win the match. It was not so easy as the score suggests as both players played four games at deuce.
Sabine Lisicki defeated Sloane Stephens 6-4 6-2. Stephens broke serve in the first game but Lisicki broke back.after a very long second game but Stephens got a second break in the fifth game at deuce. At 1-4 down Lisicki earned three break points in the sixth game and converted on the third opportunity. The German broke again in the 8th game before clinching the first set with 6-4. Lisicki broke serve twice in the fourth and in the sixth games before clinching the win on her third match point.
Heather Watson cruised past Roberta Vinci with 6-3 6-1. This year’s Australian Open semifinalist Madiso Keys hit seven aces to beat her compatriot Madison Brengle 6-4 6-2.
Karin Knapp won the all-Italian match against Francesca Schiavone with 6-4 6-1. Schiavone, the veteran of this tournament with 18 appearances in this tournament, reached the quarter finals four times. Both players traded breaks at the start of the match.
At 2-2 the 2010 Roland Garros champion did not convert her two break points. At 3-2 Knapp, Schiavone recovered from 15-40 to win her service game. Knapp reeled off three of her next four games to win the first set with 6-4. After a couple of hard-fought games in the second set Knapp got her second break in the fourth game for 3-1 and held her next service games to win the second set with 6-1.
