Karin Knapp bounces over Galina Voskoboeva to reach the last four – Estoril Open 2012
Italian qualifier, Karin Knapp, registered yet another upset in the quarter-finals of the Estoril Open on Thursday by defeating the 49th ranked Kazakh professional, Galina Voskoboeva, in a taxing three-setter 7-6(4),
2-6, 6-4.
Both contestants were playing against one another for the second time in their professional careers. Knapp had earlier lost the clash in the second round of the Australian Open, three years ago. However, she was in such fantastic
form that she refused to bow down and was rewarded with a victory that also levelled the head-to-head scores to 1-1 this time round.
In the first set, both players started off with a breakthrough before registering serve holds to push the scores at 2-2. The Italian qualifier was under the cosh after losing two successive games but followed it up with a stunning
comeback featuring a classic winner down the line to bag the second breakthrough and level the scores 4-4.
The tight contest continued for quite some time and a combination of serve hold and a trade of breakpoint, both players entered a tie-breaker round to finish the opening set. It was expected that the experience 27-year-old Kazakh
will utilize her guile to overpower the Italian but she witnessed an outstanding outbreak from her opponent featuring two back-to-back winners down the line that forced her to a trail of one set.
Nothing changed at the start of the second set except that Voskoboeva took the lead first and consolidated it with the passage of time. Scores moved to 5-2 and the Italian was forced to hold her serve to keep the set alive which
she failed to do so courtesy to some marvellous backhand winners from the Kazakh.
The stage was set for a classic final battle. Both players had proved their worth and it was time to cash in to the opportunities provided. Disappointingly, the Kazakh starlet went down to a trail of 0-3 after losing the first
two serve games. However, she bullied her way back into the contest, winning three breakpoints on the trot to level the scores at 4-4.
Despite registering such a brilliant comeback, the Kazakh failed to hold her serve in the ninth game and couldn’t break back immediately to keep the set alive. In a post-match interview, the Italians said, “I had a heart problem
and then knee surgery, so a lot of problems. I'm working really differently than I was before, so doing well again is confirmation that what I've been doing is working.”
She meets Carla Suarez Navarro in the semis.
Tags: