Although both players obtained some breakpoints in the early stages of the match, no breaks of serve were allowed during the first set. Safarova was the more attacking of the pair, bashing from both wings with her sturdy forehand, but Ana managed to keep pace with the lefty.
In the tiebreak, Ana finally grabbed her chances to step into the court. It appeared to pay off, as the former world No.1 gained control of the situation and got into a very favorable position to take a 6-5 lead. Unfortunately, Ana netted the ball and faced a set point, of which the Czech took full advantage.
In the second set, Safarova’s supremacy was more noticeable on the scoreboard. She broke Ana, who was listlessly going through the rallies, in the fifth game and cruised through five consecutive games to seal the match.
Ana's next tournament will be the Australian Open in Melbourne, which begins a week tomorrow
