Alexandra Cadantu rallies past Ekaterina Bychkova in round one – Tashkent Open 2012
World number 85, Alexandra Cadantu, dismissed the 198th ranked Russian qualifier, Ekaterina Bychkova, in the first round of the Tashkent Open on the eve of Tuesday. She clobbered the win in three sets 3-6, 6-4, 7-5;
bouncing back from a one-set trail to deny her opponent from registering an upset.
A traditional start to the match was witnessed at the hard courts of Uzbekistan. Both players capitalized on their respective serves to push the scores in a see-saw manner. No drama was sighted in the first seven games of the
match, with score board ticking on even terms.
However, the most awaited breakthrough came in the following game. To the surprise of everyone at the arena, it was the 27-year-old Russian who sneaked ahead of a superior ranked rival. She held her serve to love and stole the
opening set of the match.
Both players registered a serve hold to love in their first serve game of the second set. However, the Russian professional wasted little time in enhancing the chances of an upset; broke serve in the third game and consolidated
it with a commanding serve hold.
However, the fifth seed Romanian bounced back in the match with a couple of successive breakpoints. In the process, Cadantu lost a breakthrough as well but the scores were levelled at 4-4. The 22-year-old Romanian bagged the crucial
serve hold in the ninth game without losing any point and switched the pressure on her rival. Bychkova failed to rise to the occasion and the Romanian enforced the final set into play.
A swap of breakpoints at the start of the deciding set was coupled with a serve hold and a breakpoint from the Romanian fifth seed. She took a lead of three games with another thumping serve hold and forced her opponent on the
back foot.
Bychkova tried hard to keep the set alive and was rewarded in the ‘do or die’ game when she stopped her opponent from winning the match courtesy a classy winner down the line. However, she wasn’t able to enforce the tie-breaker
round; losing the breakpoint in the 12th game.
Alexandra Cadantu faces Sabina Sharipova in the following round.
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