Kirsten Flipkens ousts Anna Tatishvili to move to the last four – Bell Challenge 2012
Ranked 102nd in the world, Kirsten Flipkens reached the semi-finals in Quebec City, when Georgia’s world number 52, Anna Tatishvili, retired from their encounter with a low back injury in the quarter-finals of the Bell
Challenge.
Flipkens won the first set and was leading 3-0 in the second one when the Georgian decided to forfeit the match. This last-eight stage contest lasted for just 45 minutes.
Tatishvili carried this injury into this match and never looked in her perfect shape. She could not challenge her opponent from the start of the contest. Flipkens took advantage of her opponent’s bad physical condition and opened
up a 3-0 lead at the beginning of the encounter. Tatishvili managed to open her account and reduced the deficit to 2-4 at one point but then she dropped two in a row to go down 2-6.
Flipkens performed better than her rival in every single department of the game. The Belgian contender pounded five aces and 89 percent of the first serves, converting 15 of the 16 of them into points. The 26-year-old was also
formidable on the second returns, as she won three of the five on them. The 5ft 5in tall player did not provide any break opportunity to Tatishvili and availed two of the four of her own in the opener.
After losing the first set, Tatishvili took medical treatment during the break but her condition did not improve. The Georgian was finding it difficult to serve and play her shots properly. She lost first three games of the second
set to trail 0-3. The 22-year-old took injury break again at that moment but when she realised that her position would not improve, she pulled out of the contest.
Flipkens first serve percentage went down to 47 but she managed to win seven of the eight points on them. The Belgian was a bit rusty on the second deliveries, as she made a couple of double faults, losing a total of five of the
points on them in the second set.
The Mol, Belgium resident will take on the third seed, Mona Barthel, in the semi-finals.
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