Dominika Cibulkova breezes past top seed Vera Zvonareva into semi-final – Kremlin Cup 2011
The biggest upset of the day was when eighth seeded Slovak Dominika Cibulkova got rid of top seeded Russian Vera Zvonareva in the quarterfinal of the Kremlin Cup 2011. Both the challengers had taken up the gauntlet on indoor hard
courts of the Olympic Stadium in Moscow, Russia. After two hours and forty nine minutes the eighth seeded Cibulkova flabbergasted the top seeded Russian by bouncing back from a set down to clinch a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory on Friday the 21st of October
2011.
Cibulkova had opted to serve first after winning the service toss and she comfortably placed herself on the scoreboard at 1-0 by bagging the first game. Following in her footsteps was Zvonareva, who too held her service game and
placed herself beside her adversary at 1-1 on the scoreboard. The players matched a blow for a blow and the score progressed on even terms first at 2-2, then 3-3 and finally at 4-4 by the eighth game as the players bagged three service games each.
It was in the ninth game that Cibulkova came under pressure and double faulted on her second serve endorsing a crucial breakpoint to her adversary and at the end of the ninth game the scoreboard had shifted to 5-4 with Zvonareva
leading. The top seeded Russian was now only a game away from clogging the opening set and as she held her serve, she took the opening set with a 6-4 victory.
Inaugurating the second set of the match was Cibulkova and this time she was unable to hold her service game. Mean while, Zvonareva capitalized on an early break and then held her serve to place take a mini lead of 2-0 on the scoreboard.
In the following two games the players each bagged a service game and the score progressed to 3-1 by the end of the fourth game.
It was in the fifth game that Cibulkova actually reduced the deficit by holding her serve and in the sixth she closed in on the deficit to equalize the score at 3-3 by breaking Zvonareva. The eighth seeded Slovak again repeated
the feat and took the lead at 5-3 on the scoreboard. In the last two games the players broke each other back-to-back and in doing so Cibulkova secured the second set victory.
By the end of the first two sets each player had bagged a set apiece and serving for the decisive set was Cibulkova, who held her serve to open the scoreboard at 1-0. The Slovak then capitalized from an early break and took a mini
lead of 2-0 on the scoreboard. However, Zvonareva broke back in the third game and then held her serve to tie the score at 2-2 by the end of the fourth game.
In the following four games the players once more bagged two service games each and the scoreboard levelled out at 4-4 by the end of the eighth game. Cibulkova then held her serve in the ninth game and was now only a game away
from winning the match. As Zvonareva double faulted on her second serve, she gifted away the set and the match to Slovak Cibulkova.
Next up for the eighth seeded Slovak is unseeded Russian Elena Vesnina.
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