Lisicki wins in SEO debut
NBTA student Sabine Lisicki won her first match at the Sony Ericsson Open, defeating CoCo Vandeweghe (yes, her uncle is Kiki) 6-4, 7-5. Lisicki got an early break, but Vandweghe battled back to even the match. Lisicki then went on a run in the first set to win it 6-4. In the second set, Lisicki went down 4-0 behind poor serving and unforced errors. Vandweghe was able to capitalize and used her strong serve and penetrating groundstrokes to hurt Lisicki. Then, Lisicki found her serve and the match starting turning her way. She broke Vandweghe twice and went up 5-4. Vandweghe then came back to tie it at 5, but Lisicki was just a bit too strong for Vandweghe.
We came away very impressed by Vandweghe, who is only 17-years old. She can do a little bit of everything and has a big serve to accompany her powerful groundies. She is extremely athletic and moves well for a tall girl. She seems to have gotten the Vandeweghe athletic gene, which is a very good thing for her. Even though she lost, she has to be encouraged by the way she played. I don’t think we have heard the last from this talented youngster.
Lisicki has continued to excite. After her third round run at the Aussie Open and her win over Lindsay Davenport, she has not relented. On the practice court she is like a sponge. She listens to everything and really enjoys playing tennis. You can see this by the way she plays. She is always smiling and never gets to down on herself. Now, Lisicki must get ready for her second round opponent: Mariya Koryttseva. She was supposed to play Sania Mirza, but she pulled out. Koryttseva, who is a lucky loser, is ranked #59 in the world and is 10-5 on the year. This is a good match for Sabine, and you know we will be there to root her on!!
Check out the pictures from today by clicking on the Flickr link on the right side.
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