Lea Tholey outlasts Casey Robinson to enter quarters – Potchefstroom ITF 2012
Sixth seed, Lea Tholey, battled past the American challenger, Casey Robinson, in a three-set thriller at the Potchefstroom ITF 2012 on Wednesday. She nudged up a 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-2 victory against the American to power into the quarter-finals at this outdoor
hard court tournament taking place in Potchefstroom, South Africa.
The left-handed French squandered her chance of serving out the math in the second set. However, she raised the bar of her game again in the deciding set, eventually pulling out the victory in almost two and a half hour. As a result, Tholey comfortably secured
a place in the last eight at this ITF (International Tennis Federation) Women’s Circuit event taking place from 3rd to 9th December.
Tholey made a strong entry at the Fanie du Toit Sports Stadium. He got the coveted break early in the set and cruised to a 3-0 lead. The French then held her composure and bagged remaining serves, eventually sealing the opener by winning six games to three.
The 21-year-old sought her momentum in the proceeding set. She exchanged two serve breaks and then held her composure. The set went to a tie-breaker where the American dominated and eventually clicked the equaliser with a 7-6(5) win. She failed to block
both breakpoints she came across but cashed half of the four break chances to stay in contention.
Ranked 768th in the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) Premier Rankings, Tholey re-gained her strength in the final set. She got the crucial break in the third game and jumped to a 3-1 lead. The French availed another break chance near the end and
clinched the decider with a 6-2 score line. She held her entire serves with self-assurance and marked both break chances to steal the limelight.
Up next for Tholey is South Africa’s Lynn Kiro who stunned second seed Anastasia Kharchenko in a three-set thriller to set up this meeting. Kiro lost her track in the second set but remained focused, eventually securing a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 success.
The top seed, Chanel Simmonds, will join Tholey in the proceeding round. She destroyed the Ecuadorian qualifier, Charlotte Roemer, with double breadsticks to progress.
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