DOKIC OPENS TITLE DEFENCE IN STYLE

Defending champion Jelena Dokic of Australia showed just why she is serious about defending her only WTA title since 2007.

She easily disposed her opponent, Kristina Mladenovic of France, in straight sets – winning 6-3, 6-1 in merely 1 hour and 11 minutes at the BMW Malaysian Open at the Bukit Kiara Equestrian and Country Club.

However, the 29-year-old refused to accept it was an easy match stating “no match is easy. Maybe it did look that way but I earned my points.”

“Of course Mladenovic did make some double faults which always helps but I still had to work hard,” said Dokic.

The match began with both players seemingly on par, managing to hold serve until the sixth game where the Australian broke serve. She then held serve to lead 5-2. Both players held their serves then on.

“The crucial point was when the match was at 2-2 and that was when I had to become more aggressive. After breaking her serve when leading 3-2, she fell apart,” she added.

Any hope of a comeback by the Frenchwomen was quickly dismissed by a determined Dokic as she blazed through the second set in just 27 minutes.

She broke serve in the third, fifth and seventh games to win the set 6-1.

“I started to come in more and tried to dominate the game. That is where I had the advantage.”

Dokic will play Olivia Rogowska of Australia who defeated Elitsa Kostova of Bulgaria earlier in the day.

In other matches, Japan’s Misaki Doi defeated wild card Olga Puchkova of Russia. Misaki will meet either Ayumi Morita of Japan or qualifier Nudnida Luangnam of Thailand.

Meanwhile in the doubles event, top seeds Jarmila Gajdosova and Casey Dellacqua from Australia defeated Iryna Bremond and Zheng Saisai from France and China respectively.

The Australian pair will meet either Erika Sema and Kathrin Woerle (Japan-Germany) or Elena Bovina-Anne Keothavong (Russia-Great Britain).

Bovina and Keothavong won the first set 6-3 but play was suspended and will resume tomorrow due to rain.