Lesya Tsurenko and Catalina Castano reach main round – Generali Ladies Linz 2012
World number 102, Lesya Tsurenko, ousted the 33-year-old Colombian, Catalina Castano, in the final qualifying round clash of the Generali Ladies Linz on Monday. She lost the opening set but bounced back to clasp the following two
with score line of 3-6, 6-1, 6-3. Luckily for the 230th ranked Colombian, she was chosen as the lucky loser for the contest that allowed her to book a berth in the main round of the tournament despite losing the qualifier battle.
Both players played a brilliant encounter that lasted for two hours and 13 minutes. At the hard courts of Austria, the Colombian former world number 35 began in a positive fashion; grabbed a breakpoint in the fourth game to disallow
her opponent in protecting the breakthrough she lost in the previous game. She carried the momentum further and clasped another breakthrough to make it 4-2 in her favour. She hung on to that lead until the end courtesy successive serve holds and led the set
scores by one nil.
In the second set, the 23-year-old Ukrainian clinched three breakpoints in succession to lead the scores 5-1. She dropped a breakpoint on her way that took away an opportunity of registering a bagel for Tsurenko. However, she did
manage to post a breadstick which stamped her authority in the contest. It was a terrific fight back from a set down to mark such a commanding score line in the second phase.
The final battle witnessed a serve hold at the start followed by a swap of breakpoints that pushed the scores at 2-2. No breakpoints in the following two games helped the scoreboard to 3-3. However, the major turnaround in the
contest was witnessed when Tsurenko broke her rival’s serve in the seventh game and protected it with a commanding serve hold to make it 5-3 in her favour.
Castano couldn’t fight back; rather gifted another breakpoint in the ninth game that ended the contest earlier than expected. However, no damage was done to the cause of any player as both of them will be seen in action in the
first round.
Catalina Castano faces Irina Camelia-Begu whereas Lesya Tsurenko squares off against Simona Halep.
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