Anna Tatishvili upsets Maria Kirilenko in three lopsided sets at the 2011 Family Circle Cup
Anna Tatishvili of Georgia continued her surprising run at the 2011 Family Circle Cup, upsetting ninth seed Maria Kirilenko of Russia in the second round of the tournament just minutes ago. The player, who is ranked much lower than Kirilenko, ousted her opponent in three sets 5-7, 7-5, 6-3. It took Tatishvili a little under three hours to send Kirilenko packing, as she recovered from a set down to take the second round match at Charleston.
Georgian pro Anna Tatishvili is one of the dark horses of the tournament. She did not receive main draw entry into the Family Circle Cup, and competed in the qualifying singles in order to be part of the actual event. She is currently skirting the Women’s Tennis Association’s Top 100, and is ranked World Number 115. Just 21 years old, the player currently resides in Boca Raton, Florida and has not yet turned pro officially. She plays right-handed tennis, and has not won any career titles yet. Her prowess at the Family Circle Cup is quite remarkable for a qualifier.
Maria Kirilenko, however, is one of the most experienced players on the Women’s Tennis Association Tour. She has been playing tennis in a professional capacity since 2001, and has spent almost ten years on the pro circuit. The right-handed player is currently ranked almost a hundred spots higher than Tatishvili at World Number 28, and she is 24 years old. Over the course of her career, Kirilenko has won five WTA career titles.
Kirilenko began the match well, although she faced difficulties from the word go. She managed to win the first set 7-5, but fell behind in the next two sets as Tatishvili slowly caught up. The player managed to break her Russian opponent eight times, despite the fact that the Georgian pro committed six double faults. She ultimately won the match with just three points more than Kirilenko, 5-7, 7-5, 6-3.
Tatishvili will take on sixth seed Yanina Wickmayer of Belarus in the third round of this prestigious tournament.
Tags: