Estrella Cabeza-Candela downs Carolina Pillot to qualify for the 1st round - XXV Italiacom Open 2012
World number 162, Estrella Cabeza-Candela, ousted the 20-year-old Italian, Carolina Pillot, to reach the main round of the XXV Italiacom Open in Palermo. The Spanish starlet dumped the 389th ranked Pillot in three sets
6-1, 2-6, 6-0.
A battle of an hour and 45 minutes witnessed a classic contest between the two technically sound players. However, the experience of the 25-year-old Spaniard helped her to stay focused and dig deep to register a win.
The opening set witnessed an onslaught from the Spaniard. She grabbed three breakpoints on the trot and allowed just an opening serve hold for her rival. It was a classic example of a sheer class and domination from the top seed
contestant who was expected to start off in a dashing fashion.
Candela had five opportunities to break serve and she converted three of them. The 20-year-old Italian wasn’t able to construct a single breakpoint. Out of 44 points played in the opening set altogether, the Spaniard grabbed 29
off them and stamped her authority at the clay courts of Palermo.
However, the momentum in the second set totally swirled in favour of the Italian youngster who grabbed two successive breakpoints at the start to post a lead of 3-0. Candela broke serve in the following game to decrease the trail
but she was broken back by her vial that reinstated the lead of three games.
With no pressure at all, Pillot sneaked another serve hold to register a resounding lead of 5-1. It was getting pretty ominous for the Spaniard who only managed to hold her serve just once in the seventh game. It was a difficult
final game for the Italian but she did well to hang on to her serve and enforce the final set into play.
Pillot converted three off the allotted four breakpoints to her favour and grabbed 32 points out off 53 played to bag the second set and keep her chances of qualifying for the main round alive. Stage was set for a classic final
set battle.
Candela started off with a serve hold in the final set and took an early breakthrough in the second game. From that stage, she never looked back and kept on hammering her opponent across the court making her life very difficult.
She grabbed two more breakpoints on the trot to register a bagel and booked a date with Italian wildcard entrant, Anastasia Grymalska.
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