Hampton/Tatishvili shock Goerges/King to reach quarters – Internazionali BNL D’Italia 2012
American-Georgian tandem, Jamie Hampton and Anna Tatishvili, jolted down the sixth seeds, Julia Goerges and Vania King, in straight sets at the Internazionali BNL D’Italia 2012 on Thursday. They registered a 6-3, 7-6(3) score line against their rivals to
charge into the last eight at this WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) Premier Five event taking place in Rome.
The winning collaboration of Hampton and Tatishvili showed exceptional co-ordination and skills to oust Goerges and King in their first meeting. After pocketing this match in one hour and 13 minutes, they assertively secured a spot in the quarter-finals.
Hampton and Tatishvili made a strong start at Foro Italico and drew the first blood in the opening game to the initial lead. Despite losing their edge in the proceeding game, the American-Georgian pair capitalised on two more break chances and clinched the
opener with a 6-3 score line.
The high-spirited underdogs kept momentum rolling into the second set and earned the coveted break in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead. Apart from losing their serve in the very next game and exchanging a serve break, Hampton and Tatishvili stayed focused
and imposed a tie-breaker. They edged past their opponents’ in it and plucked the set with a 7-6(3) win.
All in all, the American-Georgian pair outshined the seeds throughout this duel. They clobbered a poor first serve share of 55 per cent as opposed to their rivals’ 74 per cent but impressively availed 23 out of 38 points on it. They also fired three aces
and ruled the match by bagging 74 points.
Next up for the winning duo is the Italian junction of Flavia Pennetta and Francesca Schiavone. The Italian veterans also shocked a seeded team, Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik, in straight sets to set-up this battle. They lost their serve once but
capitalised on four out of seven break chances to stun the second seeds.
The seventh seeds, Natalie Grandin and Vladimira Uhlirova, also became casualties of the day. They suffered a 3-6, 2-6 loss at the hands of the Slovakian tandem, Dominika Cibulkova and Janette Husarova, in one hour and 13 minutes.
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