Laura Pous-Tio triumphs over Mathilde Johansson to enter final round – Fes WTA 2012
Spanish contender, Laura Pous-Tio, battled past the French lucky loser, Mathilde Johansson, in a three set thriller at the Grand Prix De SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem 2012 on Friday. She joggled up a 6-1, 2-6, 7-5 victory against the Sweden-born Johansson
to labour into the final showdown at this WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) clay court event held in Morocco.
Pous-Tio stayed focused throughout the two hours and six-minute clash and eventually pulled out the victory in their first encounter. As a result, the Spaniard inched closer towards her maiden WTA career title and took lead in the head-to-head series by
1-0 against the world number 108.
"I was really pleased with my mental game today," Pous-Tio stated after the match. "It was a really tough third set and I had a lot of nerves because it was my fourth time in a WTA semi-final and I knew I had a good chance of getting to a final. I was just
glad I could play well at the end and make the final."
The 27-year-old Spaniard stormed into the Royal Tennis Club de Fes and drew the first blood in the opening game. Despite squandering her edge in the very next game, she went into rage mode and stroke out the following five games successively. Pous-Tio defended
one out of two breakpoints she faced and cashed in four out of five break chances to pocket the breadstick.
The frustrated French on the other hand got in action in the second set. After the Spaniard held her serve in the opening game, Johansson went on a four-game tear to jump to a 4-1 lead. In spite of losing her serve in the sixth game, the French stroke out
the last two games and sealed the equaliser by winning six games to two.
Ranked 110th in the WTA Premier Rankings, Pous-Tio lost her path in the opening game of the final set and gifted away her serve to trail at 0-1. However, she made a quick counterattack and snatched her break back in the follow-up game. The Spaniard
maintained consistency in her game and not only plucked her remaining serves but got the breakthrough in the last game, clinching the decider with a 7-5 score line.
Next in queue for Pous-Tio is the Dutch qualifier, Kiki Bertens, who stunned fifth seeded Simona Halep in straight sets to set-up this epic duel. Bertens brushed off six out of seven breakpoints she faced and broke her opponent’s serve three times to earn
the limelight.
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