Keothavong through in Memphis
Anne upsets sixth seed Kristina Barrois to make round two in Memphis
Anne Keothavong triumphed over sixth seed Kristina Barrois in the first round of the Cellular South Cup in Memphis and described the victory as the ‘best performance’ yet on her comeback from a lengthy spell out with injury.
The 26-year-old dropped just four games on the way to her 6-1, 6-3 win over the German world No.71, avenging a 6-4, 6-4 defeat in their only other meeting – on clay in 2006.
‘I surprised myself today with how well I played and it’s great to know my level is there against a top hundred ranked player,” said the current world No.121.
“Kristina is an awkward opponent who mixes it up very well but I was so focused and stuck to my game plan. My serving isn’t quite where I want it to be but saying that, I didn’t drop serve once today.
“That was my best performance by far in the last two weeks and I’m gaining confidence with each match.”
Keothavong has had a heavy match schedule since returning to action after her six-month lay off with a knee injury, and after playing the Fed Cup and reaching the quarter-finals in Midland this month, the British No.3 praised the help of the support staff in Memphis for helping her recover for the tournament.
“I’ve spent an incredible amount of time with the WTA physio’s since I got here and they’ve helped me enormously,” she said.
Next up for Keothavong is Portugese 17-year-old Michelle Larcher De Brito, who she defeated at the same tournament in straight sets last year.
“De Brito is a tough competitor but so am I and I’m looking forward to it,” she said.