Li Na dumps Galina Voskoboeva in the second round – BNP Paribas Open 2012
World number eight, Li Na, dumped the 27-years-old Kazakh participant, Galina Voskoboeva, in the second round battle of the BNP Paribas Open. She was tested to limits and forced to win the match in the three-sets 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.
A comeback from a set down stage required Li two hours and five minutes. It was not an easy start for the Chinese tennis ace who is suffering from a slump in her form, probably due to her aging factor as she turns 31-years-old
in June.
With this triumph, former world number four, Li takes her head-to-head tally against the Kazakh to 3-0. Voskoboeva started poorly and dropped an early breakpoint in the third game but fought back extremely well to level the scores
at 3-3. She continued her sublime run of play and broke again in the eighth game to take a lead of 5-3.
It was a classic turnaround in the proceedings and the Chinese superstar failed to break serve back to deplete the trail; lost the opening set and inched closer to another disappointing exit from the big tournament.
However, the Chinese contender kept her calm and capitalized on her serves. She did the basic right and exerted pressure on her rival. The stress played its part and the Kazakh committed a couple of unforced errors in the sixth
game of the second set that proved suicidal.
She donated a breakthrough to her opponent and it opened new gates for the Chinese to turn the tables on her opponent. Li went on to win the set and prove her worth to the world. The stage was set for an epic final set and it turned
out to be one terrific battle.
Voskoboeva lost serve in the opening game but fought back to level the scores at 2-2. She could hardly settle in the scenario before her serve was broken again in the fifth game that reinstated the lead of the Chinese who went
on to nail down her rival with another breakthrough to her name.
Li Na is schedule to go head-to-head with her compatriot, Jie Zheng, in round three.
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