Danka Kovinic stuns Kathrin Woerle to reach round two – Ankara Cup 2012
Montenegro lucky loser, Danka Kovinic, upset the German veteran, Kathrin Woerle, in a three-set thriller at the Ankara Cup 2012 on Tuesday. She summed up a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 victory against the 28-year-old to secure a place in the round of 16 at this ITF (International Tennis Federation) Women’s Circuit event taking place in Ankara, Turkey.
The Montenegro teenager remained focused throughout the set at this indoor hard court tournament taking place from 17th to 23rd December. She got off track in the second set but moved up a gear in the deciding set, eventually sealing the deal with a breadstick. As a result, Kovinic comfortably advanced into the second round.
Kovinic high-spiritedly entered the Ankara Tennis Club. She drew the first blood in the opening game and jumped to a 2-0 lead. Apart from losing her edge afterwards, the Montenegro broke her rival’s serve twice again and eventually clinched the opener with a 6-2 score line. She fended off one out of two breakpoints she encountered but availed three out of five break opportunities to move a step closer towards the spotlight.
The former Top 150 rebounded in the proceeding set. After Kovinic kept her serve in the sixth game and levelled the scores at 3-3, the German lifted her game to strike out the last three games. She was never threatened with any barrier and cashed the lone break chance to clinch the equaliser with a 6-3 score line.
Ranked 286th in the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) Premier Rankings, Kovinic went out of control in the deciding set. She winded up the opening five games before Woerle could snatch a break back. However, the German broke her rival’s serve again and pocketed the decider with a breadstick. She warded off two out of three breakpoints she faced and converted three out of six break opportunities to her advantage.
Up next for Kovinic is the local wild card entrant, Ipek Soylu, who crushed her compatriot, Sultan Gonen, with a breadstick to set up this meeting. Soylu made quick in-roads to pull out the opener with a breadstick. She maintained consistency in her game and eventually recorded a 6-1, 7-5 victory.
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