By Jake Davies
- Naomi Broady defeats Alexandra Cadantu 6-3, 6-3
- Faces Barbora Krejcikova [Q8] next
LINZ, AUSTRIA – Naomi Broady advances into the second round of qualifying at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz tournament.
Naomi Broady def. Alexandra Cadantu 6-3, 6-3.
With a great performance at the first round of qualifying, World No.130 Naomi Broady is going in the right direction as she attempts to climb back into the World’s Top 100 – a place where she spent most of her 2016 season, and where she achieved her best success on the WTA Tour.
The first break of the match was important. It allowed Broady to settle down on her own service games, but that vital break also came very early in the match, which enabled her to free up slightly and get rid of the early nerves that she may have been feeling in the first match of a new tournament.
Alexandra Cadantu struggled with the Brit’s variation from the other side of the court. The Brit likes to play her tennis from within the baseline and does not really ever hold back on her ground-strokes, but she recognised that her opponent found it increasingly difficult to find her range with the different shots coming her way.
Broady sealed the first set with a flying backhand crosscourt winner that seemed impossible to pull off, but she managed to do so and let out a huge roar in satisfaction.
The serving numbers are something that will be incredibly pleasing for Broady. She knows that when she serves well and defends her second serve efficiently that it flows through the rest of her game, and that showed in the second set, where her serve saved her from a number of tricky predicaments. The Brit repeated the scoreline of the first set as Cadantu’s fight ended with another double fault.
Broady vs Barbora Krejcikova H2H: Broady leads 1-0
Barbora Krejcikova, the eighth seed in qualification, will be the next opponent in the second round of qualifying for Broady. Like Broady, Krejcikova has battled her way through the ITF circuits, but is relatively inexperienced at main draws at WTA level.
The strategy remains the same for Broady. She has to consistently find and run around the backhand to get the forehand into play as much as possible. The serve is crucial and pivotal as quick-fire service games adds more pressure to her opponent. And lastly, she has to maintain the aggressive positioning on the baseline as that is when she plays her better tennis. Krejcikova will be looking to put Broady in awkward, defensive positions, but it is the Brit’s job to be unforgiving in that court position and be aggressive at all times.
Prediction: Broady in three sets
Broady & Krejcikova are scheduled on Court 1, not before 4:30pm (3:30pm BST).
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