Kai-Chen Chang stuns Samantha Stosur in the semi-finals – HP Japan Open 2012
Top seeded, Samantha Stosur, received a three-set shocker at the hands of the Taipei native, Kai-Chen Chang, in the semi-finals of the HP Japan Women’s Open 2012 held at the hard courts of Osaka on Saturday. The Chinese underdog
consolidated her 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(3) in two hours and 23 minutes.
The world number nine, Stosur, began the match with her powerful serve and got 1-0 right away. She displayed her superior game plan and nudged forward to secure the initial three games, stamping a 3-love lead. However, the Chinese
participant cashed Stosur’s serve in the fifth game and the momentum started to shift sides. Despite of her lesser experience, the Taiwanese contender bounced back and secured the lead by clinching the ninth game. Eventually, Chang closed the opener with a
6-4 lead.
The winning order reversed in the second set because the Aussie professional geared up to avenge her lost win. Both players provided each other with a tough competition and held their serves throughout. The score line levelled
down three times and the momentum continuously oscillated between the two sides. Stosur maintained her poise and efficiently grabbed the last two games without facing any challenge. She cashed the lone break opportunity and terminated the set with a 6-4 lead.
In the final set, both the players preserved their serves for the initial part. The decider proved to be a tough deal as the two desperately battled to comeback. The turning point of the set came in the ninth game as the Taiwanese
right-hander cashed her rival’s initial serve and secured the leading spot. Although, 28-year-old responded and evened out the score line twice. Chang made no mistake on her serve and stole the match with a 7-6(3) score, after a tiebreaker round.
The former world number four attacked her competitor with six aces and had a reasonable initial serve precision of 71 percent. On the other hand, the Chinese junior fired four aces and double faulted six times. She secured the
lead by pocketing away 45 of 62 first and 21 of 42 second serve points.
Ranked 134th in the WTA Rankings, Chang, will contest against the British challenger Heather Watson.
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