Serena sweeps and Muguruza will debut against Van Uytvanck

Serena Williams got off to a strong start to the 2021 season at the Yarra Valley Classic. The American, fifth favorite to the title, surpassed in her debut in the tournament Australian Daria Gavrilova in straight sets 6-1, 6-4 after one hour and 34 minutes of the game. Serena, who won 75% of points with her first serve and saved all four break balls she faced, was intractable in the first round and in the second, a break in the fourth game allowed her to take an advantage that she did not waste. with his serve.

Serena Williams will face Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova in the round of 16, one of the revelations of the last US Open, which starred in the great surprise of the day after beating the Croatian Donna Vekic, ninth favorite, after coming back from her match by 1-6, 6-4 and 6-4.

The Czech also started her season in a strong way Karolina Pliskova, third favorite for the title, who beat the Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-3 and 6-2 after one hour and 17 minutes of the game. Pliskova, who managed 7 direct aces and won 87% of points with her first serve, was a real gale for Cocciaretto, who managed to save 14 of the 18 break balls she had to face but it was not enough to put the team in trouble. Czech. Now Pliskova will be measured in the round of 16 with the American Danielle Collins, thirteenth favorite, who easily beat the Serbian Nina Stojanovic 6-2 and 6-1.

Van Uytvanck will be Muguruza's rival for a place in the second round

The day of this Monday has also defined us who will be Garbiñe Muguruza's rival in his debut in the tournament. The Spanish will open her 2021 season against Belgian Alison Van Uytvanck, who beat Taiwanese Su-Wei Hsieh in two sets by a resounding 6-2 and 6-0. It will be the fourth time that Muguruza is measured against Van Uytvanck, with whom he has a favorable balance of 2-1 although he endorsed a painful defeat at Wimbledon in 2018 from which she would recover at the end of that year by beating the Belgian in the Wuhan tournament.

Except for Vekic, the rest of favorites like Petra Martic, Marketa Vondrousova, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova or the Argentine Nadia Podoroska, who beat the British Francesca Jones 6-1 and 6-3, they advanced to the round in the Yarra Valley Classic.

Results of the day of February 1 at the Yarra Valley Classic

Second round

Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) to Donna Vekic (CRO, 9) 1-6, 6-4 and 6-2

Petra Martic (CRO, 7) to Vera Lapko (BLR) 4-6, 6-3 and 6-2

Danielle Collins (USA, 13) to Nina Stojanovic (SRB) 6-2 and 6-1

Karolina Pliskova (RCH, 3) to Elisabetta Cocciaretto (ITA) 6-3 and 6-2

Marketa Vondrousova (RCH, 8) to Varvara Gracheva (RUS) 6-4 and 6-0

Serena Williams (USA, 5) to Daria Gavrilova (AUS) 6-4 and 6-1

First round

Vera Zvonareva (RUS) to Kristyna Pliskova (RCH) 6-4, 6-7 (4) and 6-3

Alison Van Uytvanck (BEL) to Su-Wei Hsieh (TPE) 6-2 and 6-0

Nadia Podoroska (ARG, 14) to Francesca Jones (GBR) 6-1 and 6-3

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS, 11) to Misako Doi (JAP) 6-1 and 6-4

Greet Minnen (BEL) to Olga Daniovic (SRB) 6-4 and 6-4

Camila Giorgi (ITA) to Clara Burel (FRA) 6-4 and 6-3