Ana suffered a 6-3, 6-1 defeat against Maria Kirilenko in the third round of the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. The 23-year-old could not exploit her chances in the opening set and and the flawless Kirilenko capitalised, triumphing in 79 minutes.
A ten-minute opening game, in which Ana missed two breakpoints, set the tone for an intriguing first set. Both players were very businesslike on serve, but didn’t budge an inch during the first six games.
Ana earned another breakpoint in the seventh game of the set, but again was unable to convert it. This proved to be something of a turning point in the match, as Ana had been the superior player up to that moment.
In the following game, Ana’s delivery suddenly collapsed as she hit two successive double faults. Kirilenko gratefully accepted the gift, broke Ana’s serve and wrapped up the set.
After dropping the set, Ana lost her bearings. She hit three double faults in the first game of the second set and was instantly broken. A short revival, in which she disposed of three breakpoints, didn’t give solace. Kirilenko continued playing extremely solidly and earned another break to love in the fifth game, before being sealing victory two games later.
Ana will now head to Beijing for the China Open, which begins on Saturday.
