Monica Puig needed just 61 minutes to dispatch Olga Savchuk 6-0, 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinals of the Brasil Tennis Cup.
Puig dominates first set in just 26 minutes
What appeared to be a mismatch on paper started out like one as Puig broke immediately on her third chance, taking it at 30 to take a quick lead. With Savchuk not winning many points on Puig's serve she was under pressure on her own serve and she was subsequently broken again in a 16 point game as Puig took a 3-0 lead on her second chance of the game. After dropping her serve yet again, this time to love, Puig led 5-0 and served for the set. Savchuk finally put pressure on the Puerto Rican, creating two break chances, but wasting both until Puig finally put the set away on her first chance.
Savchuk's level of play improves, Puig still wins in straight sets to reach final eight
Savchuk couldn't play much worse than the first set and she was under immediate pressure again, Puig with a break point saved well by the Ukranian as she went on to hold and record her first game of the match. She still was unable to make inroads on the Puig serve with the exception of the last game of the opening set. Both players settled in nicely on serve as the returner won one point over the next four games. Savchuk was able to get to deuce in the sixth game, but no further as Puig held for 3-3. After two more relatively easy holds, Puig got the only and decisive break she needed, taking Savchuk's serve at 15 in the ninth game to claim a 5-4 lead. She served for the match at 5-4 and summarily closed it out to 15, winning the set 6-4 in 35 minutes and advancing to a quarterfinal match against big-hitting teenager Naomi Osaka, the eighth seed from Japan.
By the numbers
Puig was dominant on serve, winning 35 of her 47 (74.5%) points in total while also saving the only two break points she faced, both coming in the last game of the first set. Outside of that game, Savchuk only got one other game to deuce, that coming in the sixth game of the second set. By comparison, the Ukranian won 28 of her 53 (53%) serve points in total, but was just 9 of 26 (34.6%) in the first set, contributing to her woes.