Lucie Hradecka bounces back to triumph over Nina Zander – BGL BNP Paribas Luxembourg Open 2011
Qualifying top seed, Czech Republic’s Lucie Hradecka rallies past Nina Zander of Germany in a three set thriller at the qualifying competition of the BGL BNP Paribas Luxembourg Open 2011, a WTA tier III event taking place on the
indoor hard courts in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. She registered a 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 victory over the German to reach the final qualifying round on Sunday.
World number 51, Hradecka made an epic comeback from a set down to overpower Zander with a bagel at the Luxembourgian hard courts. After earning this success, she inched towards the main draw of this US$220,000 event.
Zander made a shaky entrance in Luxembourg as she lost her opening serve to go 2-0 down. However, she made a fit reply as she caged in next three games before losing her serve again to tie the scores at 3-3. The German then improved
her game and after keeping his remaining serves, she broke Hradecka’s serve in the ninth game to seal the opener with a 6-4 win. She saved one out of three breakpoints faced but capitalised on three out of four breakpoint opportunities to her advantage.
The seed turned the tables around in the second set. Despite losing an early serve in the third game, she did not raise the white flag. Above all, the Czech broke Zander’s serve in the sixth and the tenth game to clinch the equaliser
by winning six games to four. With her amazing defensive skills, Hradecka omitted five out of six breakpoints came across and converted two out of five breakpoint chances to her advantage.
Hradecka kept momentum floating into the final set where she bombarded massive groundstrokes and slices to reel off all six games in a row and earned a bagel. She warded off the only breakpoint faced and capitalised on three out
of four breakpoint opportunities to her advantage.
The high spirited Czech will square off against seventh seeded British Anne Keothavong who also crushed a German, Nicola Geuer, with a breadstick to reach this spot.
Third seeded German, Mona Barthel faced a different fate as she destroyed Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak with a bagel to join the top seed in the final qualifying round. She required only forty-four minutes overpowering the Canadian
on their first meeting.
Barthel saved one out of three breakpoints encountered and cashed in on six out of eight breakpoint opportunities to her advantage to seal the deal with a 6-3, 6-0 score line.
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