EXHIBITION TENNIS BOXING
Posted by Vassago on September 15, 2015, 11:21 am
BEFORE: Both these tennis players have struggled for good results lately so they turn to the boxing ring seeking that desired world stage success again. Daniela Hantuchova has been thoroughly outnumbered by Dominika Cibulkova on the internal Slovakian pecking order while Maria Kirilenko's career stalled for good once she couldn't make the most of one-off victories against Maria Sharapova and her doubles partnership with Victoria Azarenka flamed out as well. With the wave of newcomers like Sloane Stephens and Eugenie Bouchard making front page headlines these days it's almost a battle of the veterans to decide who can still remain in that elusive WTA spotlight.
Daniela Hantuchova wears a light blue bikini set and black gloves. Long blonde hair tied in a ponytail. Maria Kirilenko wears a yellow bikini top, black knickers and yellow gloves. Blonde hair tied in a ponytail. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the welterweight division.
Round 1:
Kirilenko's been most successful while going forward and she tries to dominate the taller opponent as quickly as possible jabbing frantically to the body and testing Hantuchova's guard with some well measured uppercuts that fail to impress the Slovak at first but then pierce the high guard and send the long ponytail rocking. Daniela has the reach advantage but she's forced into a close range struggle early on and doesn't have the speed to break free accepting Maria's superior activity as a result. Kirilenko keeps drilling that high guard and roots her rival to the spot but a couple of wayward swings prevent her from pounding the sluggish Slovakian back to the ropes early and Daniela finally gets off the mark late in the going when she rocks the Russian with a heavy right hook on the mouth but that's too little too late to impress the judges anymore.
Round 2:
More aggressive action from the Russian who seeks closing the range and she topples Hantuchova's footwork to catch her with a sinking hook on the boobs before clipping the chin for a good measure. Daniela sways around on her feet in pure avoidance and can't use that reach advantage whatsoever as Kirilenko clatters into her midriff and sends a flurry of leather on the liver area to bend the older blonde forward amid deep earmuff. A series of uppercuts shatters that defence and nails the aching Hantuchova on the mouth which whips her on the heels and allows Maria to sail clear with more facial assault. Daniela is pounded back to the ropes and scowls in pain from behind the guard but she just can't find anything to bother the rampant looking opponent.
Round 3:
Maria throws a true death stare at her opponent during the interval and has Daniela on the run early in the third again; the Slovakian avoids getting punched in close range which is a partial success but she doesn't show any aggressive intentions either and basically tries to bide herself some time. Kirilenko gets more annoyed as she keeps slicing thin air in a fruitless pursuit of the older blonde; she's well aware Hantuchova has shown almost nothing here but still escapes the deserved punishment with the footwork enabling the taller girl to stay clear of the Russian leather. In the final minute Maria tries to up her tempo but the desperate efforts to catch the ducking Slovak are eventually undone by another wild swing from Hantuchova that nails her on the lips but there's no proper follow up on offer and Daniela seems happy she simply avoided the Russian' punches. Jelena Jankovic would be proud of that duck & weave tactics but it only postpones the looming Kirilenko rout.
Round 4:
If Daniela tried to blow Maria's fuse with all that weaving escape she suddenly gets her chance early in the fourth when the Russian misplaces her weight and stumbles forward after another wayward hook and gets slammed on the cheeks with a quick left/right combo. Hantuchova moves on the front leg and drills the exposed face before the Russian can raise her gloves again and quite frankly she's rarely had to do that so far... a flurry of Slovakian leather dumps Maria on her heels and enables the older blonde to make further inroads when a quick switch on the guts makes Kirilenko gasp for air and seek a desperate clinch. Hantuchova elbows her way out of trouble and digs into the Russian's chest with a surprising move that sags Maria butt-in-ropes but unable to cover up for a massive left/right combo on both temples that spins her into the turnbuckle and has Daniela ripping the high guard apart for the remaining seconds that leaves the Russian stunned with her eyes wide open at the bell.
Round 5:
Hantuchova finally finds her mid distance stride and rallies with more jabs from the back foot that pierce the Russian's guard and removes all the aggressive ideas from her fight plan. If the Slovakian struggles in close range before, it's even worse for Maria now as she eats a barrage of punches in the opening minute and sinks on jelly knees behind a desperate earmuff that simply crumbles when Hantuchova finds a heavy piledriver and backs it up with a left handed clubbing on the eye. Maria's head snaps wildly and the younger blonde wobbles forward basically being whacked with a flurry of uppercuts that makes the Slovakian scream in delight as Kirilenko's ponytail swings around her neck and her knees slump badly in the proccess. The guard also goes down and Daniela crashes into the exposed face with more uppercuts leaving visible lumps on both cheeks before sending the Russian into an uncontrolled spin back to the turnbuckle amid more painful yelps. Hantuchova seeks that knockdown breakthrough now but misses the left handed approach and somehow bounces off the guard allowing Maria to clinch her late in the going even if the momentum is fully with the older blonde now and Kirilenko looks worse to wear at the bell despite all that early running.
Round 6:
Maria's lost two rounds in a row and realizes she must close her opponent down again if she's to regain the upper hand; veteran tactics from the Slovakian teases her into an aggressive leap though that meets a dismal end when Hantuchova beats her for a left-on-left approach and bursts the nostrils into a liquor seeping display... Kirilenko screams out and wipes the blood with her left glove instead of just pressing forward with her attack as Daniela's up to the task and finds a quick uppercut that nails the stunned Russian on the jaw AND SENDS HER TUMBLING FLAT ON HER BACK moments later... Maria's legs shoot up in the air and the noise of her body crashing against the boards in truly an impressive one... Daniela shakes her glove and glares down at the fallen rival before calmly walking back to her stool while it's a dazed departure for the Russian who sits up at six but with the blood still seeping from her banged up nose she only looks at the Slovakian's feet in the opposite corner and crashes back down covering her face with both gloves... What an epic disaster for the Moscow based blonde! KO6 Daniela Hantuchova!!!
AFTER: Hantuchova basically ignores the fallen opponent once the bell signals her much needed victory and quickly gets her agent on the phone to set up more fights in the near future... It's never easy to stay in the spotlight aged 32 but a win is a win regardless and Maria Kirilenko still turns enough heads in the business to be claimed as a truly valuable scalp!
Caroline Wozniacki's comeback struggled to impress the WTA world results-wise lately but the future doesn't look much better for the Russian blonde either, she simply had no answer to Hantuchova's improved agility once her own close range advantage was rendered worthless. Sometimes you don't get an opportunity to clean your opponent out through several rounds and must take your chances as early as possible. And that's what Kirilenko failed to do tonight and paid a heavy KO prize for it instead.
Final result: Daniela Hantuchova def. Maria Kirilenko KO6.
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