Jarmila Groth vs. Misaki Doi - 2011 BMW Malaysian Open match preview
Australian fourth seed and wild card, Jarmila Groth, defeated Chinese qualifier and a world number 232 in straight sets 7-6, 6-3 in her first round match at the 2011 BMW Malaysian Open, held at Kuala Lumpur. The player set up a second round meeting with
Japanese world number 124, Misaki Doi, in the next round.
Doi, who is 19 years old, has not yet officially joined the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tour in a professional capacity. However, she managed to defeat world number 198, Tetiana Luzhanska of Ukraine, in straight sets 6-2, 6-3 in their first round match
at the Malaysian event. She was only broken once during the match, and emerged as the victor against Groth.
Jarmila Groth and Misaki Doi have never competed against each other prior to their upcoming match. However, Groth seems to have an advantage over Doi; not only is she more highly ranked, she also has the appropriate motivation needed to win the match. Groth
scored her maiden WTA title last year, and a win at Malaysia will amount to a total of three title victories. Her path to the title was made even clearer when compatriot Jelena Dokic defeated 2010 French Open champion and first seed, Francesca Schiavone, in
the first round.
In addition to this, Groth has been training for the tournament single-mindedly. She spoke to the media before the tournament, saying, “I will keep training and practising as usual, as well as concentrating on sharpening my game.”
As well as this, Groth has the advantage of adaptability. Hailing from Australia, she is accustomed to playing tennis in variable weather conditions and has reassured fans that the weather will not affect her standard of play in her first appearance at Kuala
Lumpur. She also added, “I’m used to playing in such weather. In fact, I play well in hot and humid conditions.”
In contrast to this, Misaki Doi, is still a relatively unknown player. She began the year by entering the qualifying tournament for the 2011 Brisbane International in Sydney, but fell in the early rounds. She also took part in the qualifying rounds of the
Australian Open, but could not make it to the main draw of the Grand Slam tournament.
Doi performed well in her first round match, but that may have something to do with the poor form of her opponent. She was also more highly-ranked than Luzhanska, and a victory was not unexpected.
Jarmila Groth is, therefore, expected to win the match against her Japanese opponent in straight sets in the second round. If the Australian makes it through to the quarterfinals, she will be up against another Japanese player, sixth seed Ayumi Morita.