Jamie Hampton stuns Caroline Wozniacki to secure her first final – AEGON International 2013
American qualifier, Jamie Hampton, upset the former world number one, Caroline Wozniacki, in a three-set thriller at the AEGON International 2013 on Friday. She summed up a 6-7(8), 7-5, 6-3 victory against the Danish number one
to progress into her first WTA final in Eastbourne, United Kingdom.
The underdog made a dismal start and gifted away the opening set right away. However, she quickly found the right track and ultimately earned the limelight. The players previously battled each other in juniors’ event of US Open
eight years ago and with this victory, Hampton maintained her winning record.
Hampton was quoted in an on-court interview after stealing the glory, "Stuck with it. I think I stayed positive even though I had a few set points in the first set and kind of choked them away a little bit, and got down a break
in the second. I think I was down 0-40 on my serve there too. But I got the hold and just stuck with it and stayed positive. I'm pretty proud. Caroline is tough. She made me earn what I got.”
The world number nine, Wozniacki made a dismal entry in this match as she suffered the first blow in the opening game and fell at 0-2. However, she stayed focused and recovered in the 10th game. The Dane lost her serve
again but quickly snatched her break back, taking the set to a tie-breaker. Wozniacki edged past Hampton in it and bagged the opener with a 7-6(8) success.
Ranked 41st in the WTA Premier Rankings, Hampton re-focused in the following set. She exchanged three serve breaks and levelled the scores at 5-5. The American then got the breakthrough and clinched the equaliser by
winning seven games to five.
The 23-year-old kept her momentum sailing in the deciding set. She endured the first loss in the third game but quickly recovered in the very next game. Hampton held her remaining serves with poise and cliaimed the decider with
a 6-3 score line.
After securing her first WTA final berth, the beaming American reflected, "Feels good. I didn't come just to play the qualifying. I try to enter every tournament and think to get deep in the tournament, and look to win the title.”
Hampton will face off the Russian star, Elena Vesnina, in the title match. The Russian reeled off 11 games in a row to secure a 6-2, 6-0 victory against Belgium’s Yanina Wickmayer.
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