The 20-year-old star, who is making history as the first Israeli tennis player to compete in a Gulf State, made easy work of Virginie Razzano of France.
By JEREMY LAST, APpeer hurray 224 88(photo credit: AP)
Shahar Pe'er continued her winning form at the Qatar Open on Wednesday, beating Virginie Razzano of France 6-1, 7-6 (3) in the second round in windy conditions.
The 20-year-old star, who is making history as the first Israeli tennis player to compete in a Gulf State, made easy work of her opponent in the first set but had to settle for a tiebreaker in the second.
"Today there weren't ideal conditions to play tennis in to say the least," Pe'er said after her match. "There was a very strong wind. There's no doubt that it was a game in the hardest conditions I have ever played in."
Reflecting on the win, she added: "I am happy that I won the game, especially after I lost to her twice last year. I played the first set well, serving well. At the beginning of the second set I didn't manage to break and she stepped up a level."
In the last 16 Pe'er will face Li Na of China who upset upset No. 5 seed Anna Chakvetadze 7-6 (7), 6-4 at the Khalifa Tennis Complex on Wednesday.
"I have got a harder game tomorrow," Pe'er said. "Today she beat Chakvetadze so it is clear she is in excellent form. I have never played against her but I know she is aggressive and doesn't make any errors. Every game here is difficult and we need to be on top of our games to win."
Pe'er had also been competing in the doubles event in Doha but was knocked out in the first round on Tuesday.
Also Wednesday Andy Ram and Yoni Erlich beat the South African pairing of Jeff Coetzee and Wesley Moodie in the first round of the ABN Amro tournament in Rotterdam, Holland.
Australian Open champion Maria Sharapova, top-seeded Ana Ivanovic and No. 2 Svetlana Kuznetsova also advanced to the third round in Doha on Wednesday.
Sharapova beat Russian qualifier Galina Voskoboeva 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, Kuznetsova edged Nathalie Dechy 7-5, 7-5, while Ivanovic beat Olga Govortsova 6-3, 6-1 but twisted her ankle toward the end of the match.
"It became a very tough match at the end because the pain in my leg was increasing," Ivanovic said. "However, I had my chances and I grabbed them. I was fairly determined to win my match and I am glad I was able to finish off quickly, because it is hard to focus when your mind is on the pain. I knew I had to go for my shots and I did that to stay in control."
Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia defeated No. 9 Patty Schnyder of Switzerland 6-3, 6-4,and Dinara Safina routed Yan Zi of China 6-2, 6-1.
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