TENNIS BOXING FROM BRISBANE
Posted by Vassago on January 12, 2016, 11:12 am
Event: Brisbane International
Venue: Queensland Tennis Centre
Lovcation: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
BEFORE: Angelique Kerber enters the 2016 season hoping to emerge as a reliable Top Five performer and dominate the German players' market at the expense of Sabine Lisicki and Julia Goerges however her first fight of the year pins her against a promising Italian upstart Camila Giorgi who's tipped by many as the heir apparent to Flavia Pennetta, the still reigning US Open champion. Despite plenty of potential Giorgi has developed a habit of losing the big matches and some say this fight is even more important than her boxing debut versus Ana Ivanovic at the Pan Pacific Open last year.
Angelique Kerber wears a red basque top, matching knickers and white gloves. Blonde hair tied in a braid. Camila Giorgi wears a floral schemed bikini with pink trim and silver gloves. Blonde hair tied in a braid. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the welterweight division.
Round 1:
Both girls charge forward but Kerber just beats her rival for an overhand swing and settles into slicing the Italian's guard in mid range which staggers the younger blonde and forces her to back up down the stretch. A series of punishing jabs on the body helps Angie to prevent the escape route but she can't quite land that big punch just yet and tries to dominate the action through sheer ammount of punches crashing into Giorgi's face. The Italian's response fails to tame the German offense but at least Camila manages to stand her ground and embrace the midring onslaught in very durable fashion given the circumstances.
Round 2:
Kerber's just a little too quick and too accurate for her opponent and beats her for more overhand swings that begin to stack up on Giorgi's face again. The feisty Italian refuses to yield real estate though and mounts a challenge downstairs trying to shut Angie down any which way. While the older blonde just spikes her foe over the top she can't quite keep the midsection pounding covered and enforces a clinch in the second half of the round wrestling Camila back to the ropes in the proccess. Hectic ribcage drill results in both girls moaning and the punishing action will surely take it's toll on either one in the latter stages of the fight.
Round 3:
Angie struggles to make the early connection this time and Camila's happy to maintain the midriff assault shutting the German out in a desperate cover when she lands a piercing harpoon on target. A quick switch upstairs clips Kerber's jaw and wobbles her back allowing the Italian to pounce with a high jabbing flurry that bounces off the cheeks and reels Angelique onto the ropes. The German tries to clinch her foe to prevent more damage but Camila wrenches her on the guts again and keeps pounding the exposed ribs until the bell leaving Kerber on soft knees and spitting out her mouthguard in frustration.
Round 4:
Camila moves much quicker on her feet and finally seems to embrace the overhand approach that leaves Angie cutting thin air in desperate manner. The pounce & miss shows continues until the second minute when Giorgi rips a left hook up the middle and catches Kerber on the jaw before bursting into her breadbasket again. Angie struggles to soak up the midsection drill and reels on the ropes one more time where she just can't outmuscle the Italian and slumps on her knees when Camila threatens to dissect the liver area with another aggressive drive. One-sided gut pounding leaves the German yelping in pain with her eyes wide open and it's a sharp contrast to the Laura Robson clash and a huge indication that Angie might struggle against opponents who don't come off a serious injury like the Brit.
Round 5:
Giorgi hammers in more piercing jabs up the middle and stacks the German up midring before looking to punish her guts again and Kerber just caves in allowing the Italian to dominate the opening minute. However Camila can be accussed of getting a little reckless at times and despite the superior ammount of punches keeping Angelique at bay, she lacks the precision neccessary to hurt her beyond limit and even a bump off towards the ropes doesn't remove Kerber from contention. A lenghty clinch enables the older blonde to catch her breath a bit and stall the Italian attack however this is still anyone's for the taking at half-distance.
Round 6:
More Italian power in the early stages but Kerber loops a solid hook onto the temple to bend Giorgi to the side before blasting her across the chest to gain a valuable separation. Camila tries to find her footing again and establish the aggressive stance but Angie rips her between the arms and connects with the solar plexus before driving a nasty uppercut on the jaw that sinks the younger blonde on soft knees. A riffle right hook catches her on the nose and is quickly followes by a left hand on the temple that immediately spins Camila on the ropes in deep earmuff. Payback time for the German who leaps forward and buries her rival under a barrage of leather in the final minute shaking off the clinch efforts and blasting more jabs up the middle to leave Giorgi scowling in a mix of anger & pain at the bell.
Round 7:
Angie pierces the high guard to resume the facial punishment and Camila's head snaps back frequently in the opening minute which stalls her in a deep earmuff afterwards. Kerber switches on the body and rips some hooks to the liver area; Giorgi lowers her guard too much to brace for another quick change of targets and eats a faceful of leather with the German driving her mitts on target and leaving a couple of nasty cuts on both cheeks. Giorgi's defence begins to crumble and she trips back onto the ropes where Kerber nails her with a straight jabbing combo to dismantle the facial protection and trigger a late flurry of punches that smacks Camila's head sideways... the arms collapse by the wayside and Kerber seeks the KO glory but just runs out of time with the Italian trembling with a loud yelp and almost stumbling flat on her face.
Round 8:
Giorgi's face doesn't look all that fresh anymore and she drops the aggressive approach in order to gather her thoughts but Kerber has other ideas and rips into her swollen cheeks with a powerful drive that becomes too much for the struggling Italian to handle... Camila gets rooted to the spot in the center of the ring but as she tries to swing back at the German she leaves too many holes and Kerber soaks up a right hook on the nose before blasting a left cross on the jaw to shut Giorgi's eyes AND SEND HER TUMBLING FACE-FIRST ON THE CANVAS... that was a perfect hit from Angie who quickly struts back to her corner and the Italian just can't shake it off in time... she remains on all fours at eight and has to swallow another bitter pill of defeat. KO8 Angelique Kerber!!!
AFTER: Angie punches the air in delight but that was a much tougher test than the Robson fight and she almost got smoked into defeat herself at one point. Camila just couldn't find that one haymaker to open the floodgates and suffered badly when the German caught the second wind in her sails. Still, both Sabine Lisicki and Julia Goerges can feel pretty good about seeing their compatriot struggle to impose her presence on the promising upstart - but only an upstart nonetherless - like Giorgi. And the worst news for Kerber is that former Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka is present in Auckland too and has challenged her into a fight which is due to take place within the next seven days. Suddenly things are getting really busy for the 27 year old left-hander from Bremen.
Final result: Angelique Kerber def. Camila Giorgi KO8.
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