Aleksandra Panova outsmarts Sandra Zaniewska to reach the last eight – Baku Cup 2012
World number 75, Aleksandra Panova, was tested by the 149th ranked Pole, Sandra Zaniewska, in the second round of the Baku Cup on the eve of Wednesday. However, the second seed Russian managed to hold her breath and
win the match in three sets 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-3.
The opening set witnessed a traditional battle between the two contenders. Both capitalized on their serves and kept on manoeuvring the scores in a see-saw fashion.
Panova was once tested in the fifth game but she survived two breakpoints and managed to hold serve. However, the onslaught from the 20-year-old Pole in the ninth game of the set witnessed the most awaited breakthrough of the match
that left no chance for the Russian second seed to fight back in the contest.
Zaniewska comfortably held her serve in the 10th game of the match and that proved to be the final action from the first phase of the encounter at the hard courts of Baku.
The second set started off in the similar fashion as the first. Both players continued to hold serve with passion and moved the scores to 2-2.
A sudden swap of breakpoints hinted at something interesting in the following phases of the set but once again the old phenomenon of capitalizing the serve games was witnessed in the remaining part of the encounter.
With no more breakthroughs, the second set tie-breaker round was enforced to separate the winner from the runners-up.
Luckily for the Russian, she pinched an early mini-break that proved enough to win the tie-breaker round.
Zaniewska opened up the third set proceedings in dismal fashion as she went down to a trail of one breakpoint in the first game.
Panova kept on exerting the pressure with serve holds but not before she was tested rigorously on each occurrence. The Russian saved five breakpoints in the final set to keep her chances alive and successfully converted the allotted
two to win the match.
Aleksandra Panova is now comfortably placed in the last eight of the tournament and opens up her quarter-final battle against the sixth seed compatriot, Nina Bratchikova.
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