Third seed Dominika Cibulkova has moved into the second round of the 2016 Hobart International with a straight sets win over Brit Johanna Konta.
It was a match full of extreme momentum swings. Cibulkova made a dream start in her Hobart debut, racing to a 5-1 lead. But then Konta started to find her range, as the depth in her shots started to force errors from the racquet of the No.3 seed.
“I had a really good start at 5-1 and then she started to play more aggressive and I didn’t take the chances I had,” Cibulkova said.
Cibulkova’s frustrations were growing as Konta sent the set into a tiebreak. The Brit quickly surged ahead 6-1, earning five set points.
“Tennis is a very mental thing, you can get up-and-down very, very easy and that is what you have to stay strong about and just not to get distracted that I was winning, then suddenly I was losing,” the third seed said.
Just when it looked like Konta’s comeback was going to be rewarded with the first set, the momentum swung again as Cibulkova won the next seven points to take the set.
“It doesn’t happen every day that you win a tiebreak from 1-6 down against such a good serving player, but my return was working excellent,” the world No.37 said.
Konta broke early in the second set, building a 3-1 advantage. Cibulkova’s fighting ability was on show as she clawed it back. At 5-all the Slovakian pounced, breaking the Konta serve.
Serving for the match, Cibulkova fell behind 0-30 as the crowd set themselves for another momentum swing. The former top 10 star held firm though, holding serve to secure a 7-6(6) 7-5 vistory in just over two hours.
“I knew it was going to be a tough first round and I’m happy I handled it today the way I did,” Cibulkova said.
“Today I was really tough mentally. Even when I made some mistakes, I still stayed in the match.
“In the important points today I was really strong and I was not afraid to go for my shots.”
Next up for Cibulkova is 17-year-old Australian wildcard Kimberly Birrell.
Making her WTA Tour main draw debut, Birrell stunned world No.57 Danka Kovinic 6-4 6-3 in the third match of the day on Court Events Tasmania today.
The No.368 ranked Birrell was impressive in her debut, not dropping serve in the 71 minute match.
“It’s hard to put into words, I’m extremely happy and really ecstatic,” Birrell said.
“I was expecting to be a little more nervous than I was, but I seemed to settle pretty good at the start. It only took me about a game, then I was really focused.”
Birrell said she was not daunted about facing the former Australian Open finalist in the second round.
“It’s such a good opportunity. I’m just going to try my best, keep learning and keep fighting. I’m just excited,” she said.