Serena Overpowers Shuai to Move Closer to Madrid Title Defense
May 7, 2014 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal
Serena Williams moved another step closer to winning her third straight Mutua Madrid Open title as she beat China’s Peng Shuai 6-2, 6-3 in the second round matchup. Serena won eight of the first nine points of the match, making her mark felt early. She wrapped up the first set with a powerful serve that forced Shuai’s return long.
Shuai would make a strong effort to get back into the match early in the second set by putting together a couple of break points, but the serve of Williams proved to be too powerful and came too often. She smashed 11 aces and got 69 percent of her first serves in, controlling the match from start to finish and cruising into the next round.
Serena now moves on to face Spain’s Carla Suarez-Navarro in the next round. It is now up to Suarez-Navarro to dethrone Williams in her attempt at three straight Madrid titles.
Suarez-Navarro has managed to win just five games combined in the last three matches with Serena, including a 6-0, 6-0 rout in last year’s U.S. Open.
