Galina Voskoboeva stuns Marina Erakovic to book a spot in round two – BNP Paribas Open 2012
World number 53, Galina Voskoboeva, registered an upset in the opening round of the BNP Paribas Open on Wednesday by ousting the 45th ranked Kiwi superstar, Marina Erakovic. It was an epic three-setter lasting for two
hours and 37 minutes before the Kazakh registered 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 triumph to book a spot in the second round.
The match started with a successful serve hold at each ends before a trade of breakpoints took it further to 2-2. Erakovic came out with onslaught and won a breakpoint to take the lead; consolidated her position with a comprehensive
serve hold as the scores moved on to 4-2.
An exchange of breakthroughs further pushed the scores to 5-3 with Erakovic leading the show. Unfortunately for her, the Kazakh broke serve to level the scores at 5-5. It was getting tight but the Kiwi star was smart enough to
slow the tempo of the game and frustrate her opponent. She broke serve to take the lead and held her own to take the set.
The second set was hijacked by the Kazakh in the opening few games taking lead of 3-0 that included a breakthrough as well. The Kiwi superstar fought back to diminish the trail but just to see her serve broken in the following
game. Another trade of break kept the Kazakh’s lead alive with scores progressing to 5-3. A comprehensive serve hold from Voskoboeva tied the set scores at 1-1.
Erakovic started the third set with a serve hold but failed to repeat the similar performance in the second game; she gifted a breakpoint to her opponent and trailed 3-1. However, she was not going to go down so easily. She turned
the tables on her opponent in the sixth game and broke serve to level the scores at 3-3.
A sizeable crowd was ecstatic to have bought the tickets of such a marvellous encounter. It went down to the wire with the Kazakh player holding her serve after a cruel battle in the tenth game to tie the scores at 5-5. She saved
four breakpoints on the trot in a single game to stay alive in the set. Against the run of play, she broke serve in the following game to take a crucial lead of 6-5.
Voskoboeva made no mistake in the final game of the match to hold her serve and complete an upset after losing the first set. She will go head-to-head with Li Na in the next round.
Tags: