Bethanie Mattek-Sands shocks Li Na in round two – Roland Garros 2013
American challenger, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, stunned the former champion, Li Na, in a three-set thriller at the French Open 2013 on Thursday.
She recorded a 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 victory against the Chinese in the second round at this major clay court tournament taking place in Paris, France.
The underdog showed awe-inspiring skills at the Stade Roland Garros, outclassing Li in their third meeting. With this victory, Mattek-Sands lowered trail in the head-to-head series by 1-2 against the Chinese veteran. The pair last battled each other at the
Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart earlier this season where Li recorded a straight set victory against the American.
“That's one of the best wins of my career. I knew she wasn't going to give it to me. She's a champion, and I had to play some of my best tennis ever to beat her. What I remember from the last couple times I played with her, she plays inside the court. She
takes the balls on the rise. It always seems she's putting pressure on you. So I was ready for her to do that today, and I wanted to give it back to her, because that's my game, too. I didn't really do it in Stuttgart; I was able to do it today,” said Sands
after the match.
The world number six, Li took a great start to the match. She reeled off four opening games before Mattek-Sands could come on the score sheet. Despite squandering her lead by losing the following two serves, the Chinese got the breakthrough in the second
last game and clicked the opener with a 7-5 win.
Mattek-Sands re-focused in the following set. She drew the first blood in the second game and cruised to a 3-0 lead. Apart from losing her edge in the seventh game, the American stayed focused. She capitalised on another break opportunity in the next game
and subsequently clinched the equaliser with a 6-3 score line.
Currently ranked 67th in the WTA Premier Rankings, Mattek-Sands went out of control in the deciding set. She stroke out opening five games and got the upper hand. The American wasted her chance of serving out the set with a bagel. However, she held her serve
once again and sealed the decider by winning six games to two.
Mattek-Sands will square off against the Argentinean qualifier, Paula Ormaechea, in the round of 32 who also surprised everyone by registering a 6-4, 7-6(6) victory against the 27th seed, Yaroslava Shvedova, to advance.
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