Andrea Petkovic tops Ksenia Pervak to enter semis – BGL BNP Paribas Luxembourg Open 2012
Former world number nine, Andrea Petkovic, got the better of the Kazakhstani star, Ksenia Pervak, in straight sets at the BGL BNP Paribas Luxembourg Open 2012 on Friday. She jolted down a 6-3, 6-2 victory against the world number 106 to progress into the semi-finals at this indoor hard court event held in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg.
The German star re-kindled her spark to outclass Pervak in their second meeting. After stealing the limelight in one hour and 18 minutes, Petkovic not only avenged her loss at the Wimbledon Championships last season but also levelled the head-to-head series by 1-1 against the 21-year-old.
Petkovic commented in a post match press conference:
"At 2-3 in the first set I knew I needed to step up my intensity - just a little, maybe 10% - but I thought that was key to turning the match around. It was incredibly intense. Even though the first set was 6-3, it could easily have gone to 5-all. I think I was just a little bit luckier in the key moments."
The 25-year-old made a sloppy entry at this WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) International-level tournament. She suffered the first blow in the opening game and trailed at 0-1. Petkovic recovered in the very next game but lost her serve again in the fifth game, eventually going 2-3 down. However, she not only snatched her break back in the proceeding game but cashed another break chance, eventually reeling off last four games. The German blocked one out of three breakpoints she faced and availed three out of six break chances to formulate a 6-3 success.
Currently ranked 182 in the WTA Premier Rankings, Petkovic perfected her ways in the following set. She got the critical break in the opening game and leaped to a 2-0 lead. After availing another break opportunity in the fifth game, the German jumped to a 5-1 lead. She plucked her serve once again and clinched the set with a 6-2 score line. Petkovic was never challenged with any breakpoint and cashed both break chances to rule.
Next in line for Petkovic is the former world number one, Venus Williams, who stunned top seeded Roberta Vinci in straight sets to set up this meeting.
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