Govortsova too good for Keothavong
Anne goes down in three…
Anne Keothavong lost her first round contest with Belarussian Olga Govortsova at the $4.5 million BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells on Wednesday.
The British No.1 started strongly, but eventually fell 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 to the world No.58. Govortsova goes through to face 28th seed Peng Shuai from China in round two.
Read Anne’s blog written after the match
Things were looking good for the 25-year-old from Hackney after a strong first set before Govortsova took control midway through the match.
After swapping a break of serve apiece in the opening four games Keothavong soon got into her stride.
The right-hander dominated on return early on, rattling off four successive games from 2-2 to take the opening set after 32 minutes.
The second set was much tighter with the first seven games going with serve before world No.58 Govortsova secured the decisive break to go 5-3 ahead. Minutes later it was one set all after she served out the set.
The Belarussian maintained her momentum in the opening stages of the third, breaking twice in the first three games to build a 3-0 lead.
Keothavong managed to recover one break of serve to reduce the gap to 3-1 before Govortsova rattled off another three games on the trot to seal victory.
“For a set and a half I felt completely in control,” Keothavong wrote in her blog after the match.
“It’s hard to talk about a match when you know you could have performed better but when things started to go wrong for me I panicked and wavered off the game plans which led to more errors and low percentage shots.
“I know I work hard on the practice court and off the court but that doesn’t guarantee the outcome you want on match day.
“I strive for perfection but I’m nowhere near it and now I’ve got two weeks before my next competition starts in Miami to keep working on my game.
“This was a big tournament where I wanted to do well and I probably put too much pressure on myself. My coaches tell me to enjoy it more and to not be so intense at times but that’s easier said than done.”