Heather Watson stuns Anabel Medina Garrigues in the second round – HP Japan Open 2012
Right-hander British contender, Heather Watson, gave her Spanish rival, Anabel Medina Garrigues, an upsetting defeat in the second round of the HP Japan Open held at the hard courts of Osaka, Japan. She wrapped up the three-setter
at 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-3 to win in total of two hours and 37 minutes.
Talking to the media, Watson said, "I knew it was going to be a tough match today. Anabel is a great player, has a lot of experience and she makes a lot of balls. I knew I was going to have to win the points and she wasn't going
to give me anything. The first set was very close. It was a high-quality, good set. She played well to win it. I was obviously disappointed, but she earned it. So I just thought, 'I'm playing well. I'll come back in the second set. And stay positive. And it
ended up working today."
Both players commenced an average start of the opening set and the score line evened out to 2-all in the fourth game. Garrigues manifested her greater run of form and cashed away her opponent’s serve in the very next game. She
warded off all the breaks and edged past her rival every time she tried to take the upper hand. She squandered all breaks and effortlessly managed to drag the set to a tiebreaker round. Eventually, the Spanish senior edged past her junior concluding the match
with a 7-6(4) score line.
In the second set, the 20-year-old British challenger nudged forward with a strong resolve to rally past her rival. The game completely turned around that time, as Watson cashed away her rival’s serve and avenged her lost win in
the fifth game. Her powerful serves and forehands completely crumbled the Spaniard’s confidence and she was unable to show any resistance in response. Watson swiftly took opportunity of the situation, reeling off the last three games and concluded the set
a 6-2 lead.
The world number 40, Garrigues, completely lost her momentum in the final set and was unable to hold her initial serve. Watson secured her lead by pocketing away the initial two games and marked a 2-love lead. She completely tumbled
her challenger by plucking her serves without facing any real challenge. Moving toward the end, both participants battled hard against one another and there was a series of serve breaks seen. Watson beautifully nudged forward and terminated the match with
a 6-3 win.
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