Francesca Schiavone survives early scare against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova – French Open 2011
Defending champion, Francesca Schiavone from Italy bounced back from being one set down against Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to secure a three set win in the pair’s quarterfinal match at Stade Roland Garros on Tuesday, May
31st in Paris, France.
Schiavone had defeated tenth seeded Jelena Jankovic in three sets in her fourth round here while the Russian moved ahead after doing away with world number three, compatriot Vera Zvonareva. This was the pair’s fourth meeting on
tour with Schiavone leading the head-to-head score 2-1, which she has now extended to 3-1.
Taking two hours and thirty four minutes, Schiavone wrapped up her three sets 1-6, 7-5, 7-5 victory to move on ahead at the event.
A lapse in the first set put Schiavone on the down low. She committed a lot of unforced errors which combined with the Russian’s amazing 91% first serve and six winners allowed the Russian to clinch the opener. Schiavone got broken
three times to suffer a breadstick defeat.
The Russian maintained her dominance early in the second set as she led 4-1. However, a fighting Schiavone bounced back in the fifth game to tie the score at 5-5. A break later in the eleventh game allowed Schiavone to secure an
arduous 7-5 win in the second set, levelling the set score.
A reformed Schiavone came out firing in the decider as she broke her opponent in the first and third game to lead the score 3-0. An exchange of serve later, Schiavone had extended her lead to 5-1. However, a fighting Russian broke
back to reel off four straight games to level the score at 5-5.
Breaking Pavlyuchenkova in the eleventh game, Schiavone wrapped up the set at 7-5 with a combination of a winner down the line and an into-the-net shot from the Russian at deuce in the twelfth game.
Schiavone now moves on ahead to play either Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli or compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova. Bartoli and Kuznetsova as scheduled to play their quarterfinal match later in the day.
Tags: