Hlavackova/Hradecka upset Errani/Vinci to enter semis – Western and Southern Open 2012
Czech junction, Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka, stunned the second seeded Italians, Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci, in a three-set thriller at the Western and Southern Open 2012 on Thursday. They summed up a 6-3, 3-6, 10-3 victory against the Italians
to labour into the semi-finals at this WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) Premier Five event held in Mason in Ohio, United States.
The fifth seeded duo battled past Errani and Vinci in three sets in their fifth encounter at this outdoor hard court event. After recording this success in one hour and 15 minutes, Hlavackova and Hradecka not only improved to a 3-2 record in the head-to-head
series against the higher seeds but also powered into the final four.
Hlavackova and Hradecka enthusiastically entered the Lindner Family Tennis Center. They suffered the first blow in the fifth game to trail at 2-3. However, the Czechs unleashed their skills and went on a four-game tear, eventually clicking the opener with
a 6-3 win.
The second seeded Italians re-focused in the proceeding set. They got the critical break in the second game to take a 2-0 lead. The Italians then stayed focused and after exchanging two serve breaks, they leaped to a 5-2 lead. Later, the higher ranked team
plucked their serve once more to seal the equaliser with a 6-3 success.
In the supper tie-breaker, Hlavackova and Hradecka re-gained their momentum. They cruised to a 4-1 lead in it before carving out the victory with a 10-3 score line.
On the whole, the Czech duo spilled more double faults and clobbered a lower first serve share of 70 per cent in contrast with their rivals’ 75 per cent. However, the lower seeds amazingly marked 28 out of 42 points on it and sealed the deal with 60 points.
Up next for the seeds is the Croatian-Hungarian team, Darija Jurak and Katalin Marosi, in the last four. The unseeded pair hit back to overpower the local wild card entrants, Varvara Lepchenko and Sloane Stephens, with a 4-6, 7-5, 10-8 score line. They brushed
off half of the 10 breakpoints they came across and capitalised on five out of six break chances to earn the fame.
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