Flavia Pennetta outshines Misaki Doi to enter the semis – Internationaux de Strasbourg 2013
Italian qualifier, Flavia Pennetta, triumphed over the Japanese challenger, Misaki Doi, in straight sets at the Internationaux de Strasbourg 2013 on Friday. She jolted down a 7-5, 6-3 victory against the Japanese
to power into the final four at this WTA International event taking place in Strasbourg, France.
The Italian contender ruled throughout the match at this final clay court tournament before Roland Garros. Both challengers were facing each other for the first time and after earning this victory, Pennetta comfortably
inched towards glory.
Pennetta thundered into the French dirt and drew the first blood in the second game to take the initial lead. She lost her edge in the very next game but broke her rival’s serve once more, eventually taking a
4-2 lead. Despite squandering her edge again in the proceeding game, the Italian stayed calm and got the breakthrough in the last game. As a result, Pennetta bagged the opener with a 7-5 win.
The former world number 10, Pennetta maintained consistency in her game in the following set. She drew the first blood in the fourth game and leaped to a 4-1 lead. The Italian lost her serve in the seventh game
but cashed another break opportunity in the very next game, consequently clinching the set with a 6-3 score line.
Up next for the Italian star is Czech Republic’s Lucie Hradecka in the semi-finals.
The Czech contender, Hradecka, recorded a similar score line against Sweden’s Johanna Larsson and advanced at this clay court event.
Currently ranked 112th in the WTA Premier rankings, Hradecka exchanged two serve breaks in the opening four games and levelled the scores at 2-2. She held her remaining serves with conviction
and capitalised another break chance in the last game, subsequently clobbering a 6-5 victory.
The 28-year-old showed similar strength in the second set. She swiftly bagged her entire serves without facing any hindrance. The Czech required a single break of serve in the eighth game to seal the deal in
straight sets.
In the other semi-final match, third seeded French Alize Cornet will take on the Canadian high flying star, Eugenie Bouchard.
Tags: