Jill Craybas dumps the injury-stricken Julia Goerges in round one - BNP Paribas Katowice Open 2013
World number 30, Julia Goerges, had to retire due to dizziness in the opening round at the BNP Paribas Katowice Open in Poland on Tuesday. It was a welcome victory for the 38-year-old American qualifier, Jill Craybas, who is a
very close friend of Goerges as well. It was a difficult decision to quit in the third set after a gruelling contest but the 24-year-old German had no other option. She won the opening set tie-breaker 7-6(5) but lost the second set 3-6 and was trailing the
final set 1-4 before she pulled out of the contest.
The 240th ranked American passed on her sympathies to Goerges in a post-match press conference stating, “I played a friend today and it was really tough. We train together a lot and we actually have the same coach. We've
played practice matches against each other many times. So I think in the first set we were a little bit unsettled, but then I started playing a little bit better. It was tough. But I need to get some matches in and that's what I've been able to do here.”
Craybas lead the head-to-head score line against the 30th ranked German by 2-1 with this immature victory. She came all the way from the qualifying rounds and was lucky to have seen a best friend in the opening round
as a rival who didn’t think twice before handing over the triumph to her after incurring dizziness.
It has been a very topsy turvy season for the fourth seed German who hasn’t been able to cement her position amongst the elite players and has slipped 12 places in just the first four months of the year.
The American veteran will contest the second round match against the Israeli star, Shahar Peer. Commenting about the contest, Craybas said, “I haven't played her in a long time. She's a former No.11 in the world so it'll be a tough
match. She's a great competitor. It will be fun.” It is expected to be a taxing draw for both contenders but Peer has the upper hand considering her agility.
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