Irina Ramialison upsets Isabella Shinikova to capture title – Antalya ITF 2012
French rising star, Irina Ramialison, shocked the third seed, Isabella Shinikova, in a three-set see-saw match at the Antalya ITF 2012 on Sunday. She notched up a 6-1, 2-6, 6-0 victory against the Bulgarian starlet to grab the title at this outdoor clay court tournament taking place from 17th to 23rd December in Antalya, Turkey.
Seeded eighth in this event, Ramialison lost her path in the second set. However, she went berserk in the final set and ultimately carved out the victory with a bagel. After stealing the show in almost two hours, the French captured the crown at the Go Tennis Academy.
Ramialison made a thunderous entry at this ITF (International Tennis Federation) Women’s Circuit event. She reeled off opening five games before Shinikova could snatch a break back. The French broke her opponent’s serve again and eventually clinched the opener with a breadstick. She failed to defend the only breakpoint she encountered but converted half of the six break opportunities to her advantage.
The world number 376, Shinikova re-focused in the proceeding set. She carried her losing ways and after gifting away her opening serve, the Bulgarian fell at 0-2. However, Shinikova unleashed flurry of groundstrokes and winded up six games consecutively. She fended off two out of three breakpoints she came across and capitalised on three out of four break opportunities to get back in contention.
Ranked 589th in the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) Premier Rankings, Ramialison sought her early ascendance and momentum in the deciding set. She blasted powerful forehands from her box of tricks and reeled off six games in a row. The French brushed off both breakpoints she faced and cashed all three break chances to pull out the decider with a bagel.
The 21-year-old French made a slopping start in this tournament. She lost the opening set but quickly found her rhythm, eventually registering a three setter victory against Julia Stamatova in the first round. Ramialison then blasted past Cemre Anil and Tamara Bizhukova in straight sets to reach semis. In semis, the French rallied past her compatriot, Manon Arcangioli, in three sets to reach the title-round.
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