Hlavackova/Hradecka labour past Peschke/Srebotnik to reach the doubles semis – French Open 2012
Another stunning outcome was seen in the doubles draw of the French Open on Tuesday when the second seeded tandem of Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik crashed out of the quarter-final round. They were outsmarted by the fifth seed Czech duo of Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka in a gruelling three-setter, with the final score line settling at 6-1, 5-7, 7-6(4), in favour of the Czech underdogs.
Peschke and Srebotnik were rated as the hot favourite for winning the Roland Garros title this season and their exit at the hands of the inferior-seeded opponents was extremely disheartening for tennis lovers. The Czech-Slovenian combination has been absolutely dominating throughout the tournament but couldn’t deliver its best in the all-important quarter-final clash on Tuesday.
It was a fairly poised contest, with both teams fighting desperately to remain alive in the competition. Peschke and Srebotnik were completely blown away in the opening set, as the Czech contenders came out with all guns blazing right from the beginning. Hlavackova and Hradecka launched an all-round onslaught and nailed two successive break points in the fourth and sixth games to bag the opener with a breadstick, 6-1.
More intense tennis was witnessed in the following set and two consecutive break points apiece were registered from both sides. The scores were tied at 5-5 and looked as if the set was heading towards a tie-breaker round but the second seeded tandem struck at the critical time to change the course of the match. Peschke and Srebotnik broke their opponents in the 12th game to pocket the second set at 7-5, bringing the contest back on even terms.
The decisive set witnessed a total of six break points being traded from both sides, dragging the scores to 6-6 and eventually bringing a tie-breaker round into play. It was Hlavackova and Hradecka’s day and they manoeuvred through the decider to seal their emphatic victory at 7-6(4), earning a berth in the semi-finals of the mega event in Paris, France.
The Czechs have to go through the seventh seeded Russian duo of Maria Kirilenko and Nadia Petrova before yielding a title shot in the final of the French Open.
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