Zero aces, 18 unforced errors and 58 per cent of first-serve points won may not be the most aesthetically pleasing stat line.
But for Italy’s Sara Errani, it was more than enough to shoot her into her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.
The world No.48 made light work of Chinese opponent Jie Zheng and cruised to a 6-2 6-1 win in just over one hour and 20 minutes.
While the Italian showcased great desperation and a relentless work ethic, her victory was more or less aided by Zheng’s worst enemy – her unforced errors tally.
Accumulating 47 unforced errors while winning 44 total points is always a recipe for disaster, and for China’s third-highest ranked player, a disaster is what she found.
Errani, 24, had never advanced past the third round of a Grand Slam previously and is having her best tournament to date, having only dropped one set so far.
Zheng on the other hand was looking to match – or better – her 2010 Australian Open result where she made the semifinals before bowing out to Justine Henin. It was not to be.
There was nothing too flashy about Errani’s game today, except for ruthless intensity around the court and strong groundstrokes hit deep in the court.
She broke serve early as she raced to a 3-0 lead, courtesy of a reliable first serve travelling at 85 per cent efficiency.
After only 10 minutes on court Zheng had already accumulated 10 unforced errors. Down 1-4 and with few answers to her opponent’s ruthless play, Zheng finally found a spark and gave the subdued crowd on Margaret Court Arena something to cheer about.
After a crisp crosscourt Errani forehand, Zheng raced to the ball, set herself up perfectly and struck a flat missile that surged past the net post and nestled perfectly in the corner of the court.
It was Roger Federer-esque, yes. But it wasn't enough.
Errani powered forward, breaking her opponent yet again and promptly held serve to take out the first set 6-2.
The 24-year-old's work ethic was much the same throughout the second set.
There were few monster shots, no wild miracles, just consistent and disciplined tennis keeping the ball in play and waiting for Zheng to make errors.
The Italian quickly surged to a 4-1 lead, with the finish line well in sight.
But Zheng was not prepared to lie down.
The 28-year-old began hitting bold shots, vicious even, with a ferocious backhand crosscourt well out of the Italian’s reach followed by an untouchable winner down the line.
But despite being up 40-0, Errani clawed back to level the scores at deuce, a just assessment of Zheng’s day – no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t get it done.
After Zheng had registered 47 unforced errors and 44 total points won, Errani held serve to take out the second set – and the match – in convincing fashion.
The Italian is faced with a huge challenge in the quarterfinals where she takes on world No.2 Petra Kvitova, who is fresh off a straight-sets win over Ana Ivanovic earlier on Monday.
