Below-par Baltacha sneaks through

by Admin , 11 March 2010

Elena Baltacha admitted she was far from at her best when beating Alexa Glatch in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open.


The British number one is currently in the form of her life and has taken some notable scalps in the last eight months en route to a career-high ranking of 65.

And she will have a chance of adding another big name to her list of victories after her 6-3 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 victory over the American wildcard set up a second-round clash with seventh seed Li Na of China in Indian Wells.

Baltacha was brutally honest in her assessment of the way she played but is relishing the chance to face another top player with the pressure off her shoulders.

"I am honestly just quite shocked how I played," she said. "I honestly felt it was pretty bad but a win is a win and I'll take it. What is really important is winning matches when you're not playing well.

"I played Li in Eastbourne and lost 6-2 7-5, but even in the first set I had opportunities.

"I've got nothing to lose. It's always nice to be the underdog, just to go out there and swing freely."

The news was not so good for compatriot Anne Keothavong, who lost 2-6 6-3 6-1 to Russia's Anna Chakvetadze.

Subscribe to Setanta

Setanta Sports broadcasts exclusively live coverage of the best premium football, rugby and motorsport including Barclays Premier League, Rugby World Cup 2011, French Top 14, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, League of Ireland, Rabobank Pro12 and Golf from around the World.

Edit Web Part Contents