Daria Gavrilova battles past Piia Suomalainen into last eight – OrtoLaakarit Open 2011
Russian qualifier Daria Gavrilova formulated an epic comeback from a set down against a local wild card enterer Piia Suomalainen at the OrtoLaakarit Open 2011, a hard court tournament and a part of ITF Women’s Circuit. She registered
a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over the 27-year-old Finn to book a quarter-final spot on Thursday.
Gavrilova, ten years younger than her rival, high spiritedly entered the Helsinki courts and overwhelmed the Finn’s resilience in one hour and forty-seven minutes on their first meeting. She lost the opener but outshined Suomalainen
in the remaining sets, securing a last eight spot.
After the Russian held her serve in the opening game, world number 399 Suomalainen went on a five games killing spree by smashing blistering forehands and powerful groundstrokes from her box of tricks. The Finn then held her serve
again in the eighth game and clinched the opener with a 6-2 victory. She saved the only breakpoint came across and converted two out of seven breakpoint chances to her advantage.
Ranked 385th in the Sony Ericsson WTA Premier Rankings, Gavrilova founded the winning track in the second set. She carried her losing ways and lost her serve in the opening game. However, after the Finn held her serve
in the fifth game, the Russian youngster wiped out last four games in a row and sealed the equaliser by winning six games to three. She defended two out of three breakpoints faced and converted two out of eight breakpoint opportunities to her advantage.
The Russian teenager kept momentum floating in the final set. She got the first blood in the opening game and took the initial lead by 1-0. Despite squandering her edge in the very next game, Gavrilova fired up to pocket the next
five games in a row before the Finn could hold on. The Russian held her serve again in the eighth game and bagged the decider with a 6-2 win. She saved one out of two breakpoints faced and converted three out of four breakpoint opportunities to her advantage.
After earning this victory, the Russian rising star set-up a date with the top seeded Estonian Kaia Kanepi who trashed a German qualifier, Dinah Pfizenmaier in straight sets.
Another Russian qualifier Alexandra Artamonova will join Gavrilova in the quarters. She crippled Julia Glushko with a breadstick in sixty-six minutes to reach this spot. Artamonova brushed off six out of seven breakpoints came
across and converted five out of eleven breakpoint opportunities to her advantage, sealing the match with a 6-3, 6-1 victory.
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