Caroline Wozniacki saves an upset against Sofia Arvidsson in round three – BNP Paribas Open 2012
Former world number one, Caroline Wozniacki, overpowered the Swedish star, Sofia Arvidsson, to book spot in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open. It was a taxing three-setter that forced the Dane to jump back from a set-down
to save an upset and register scores of 3-6, 7-5, 6-2.
The Swede lasted two hours and 37 minutes but couldn’t advance ahead into the tournament. The defending champion did well in the second and third part of the match. She started off in a dismal fashion, losing the opening serve
game and dropping two more games at the end. It was a terrific start for the Swede who had just won a couple of matches in the seven meeting these players had before this match. It was a golden opportunity for her to diminish the head-to-head trail.
The Dane picked up some momentum in the second set, breaking her rival’s serve in the first game and registering a 2-0 lead upfront. However, her serve was broken right back into the fourth back that tied the scores at 2-2. A trade
of breakpoints kept the scores together at 3-3. No breakthroughs were witnessed in the following four games pushing the scores further to 5-5.
It was a pressure situation for both players and they had to make sure that they hold their serves to transfer the pressure back on their competitor. Arvidsson was serving in the 11th game of the match. She won no point
on her serve and donated a game to the Dane who capitalized on the opportunity and held the next serve game to level the scores at one set apiece.
A terrible start to the final set for the Swede helped her competitor to take an unassailable lead of 3-0 at the start. Wozniacki dropped serve in the following game but the lead was kept intact as the scores tickled past 4-2.
Another breakpoint for the Dane confirmed her triumph. The Swede was exhausted at that stage and a comeback was hardly a possibility. A comprehensive serve hold for the Dane booked a date with the Serb tennis icon, Ana Ivanovic.
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