It was a match of streaks. The opponents were tied at 1-1 in the first set, but Cibulkova won all of the following games in the set, forcing Bartoli to lose three serves in a row. The Slovak showed more vitality and diversity in her play than her rival. Bartoli looked tired and could not find an antidote to Cibulkova’s strong and accurate forehands.
Bartoli won the second game of the next set after defending three consecutive break points. She then used the momentum, broke her adversary’s serve twice, and found herself 4-1 in front. But now it was Cibulkova’s turn to make a four-game winning streak. Although the French managed to level the score at 5-5, she never really looked like troubling Cibulkova again, and the latter capped off her outstanding week with a break to love in the final game of the tournament.
Two years ago Cibulkova dropped out of Carlsbad in the first round. In a short interview after the victory she presented the formula for this year’s success, that is, she needed to stay calm, relaxed, and wait for her chances. She ultimately used her chances and appears to be in a great form ahead of the London Olympics.
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