Maria Kirilenko strains past Sorana Cirstea into the title match – Pattaya Open 2012
Semi-final of the PTT Pattaya Open featured the two beauty queens form the world of tennis, Maria Kirilenko of Russia and Sorana Cirstea of Romania. Both players battled at the hard courts in Pattaya City, Thailand, for two
hours and 28 minutes and the Russian battled past her opponent in a gruelling three-setter; winning the contest 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.
The fourth seed Russian started the match with a successful serve game. With an exciting display of power hitting from the Russian, she begged her first serve game and pushed the scores to 1-1. Both players were encountering
each other very well and continued the sea-saw battle to tickle over the scores to 2-2.
Despite a considerable psychological advantage of 2-0 head-to-head lead of the Romanian, the Russian looked the better player who used her guile to dismantle the game play of her opponent and broke serve to take the lead.
Kirilenko was not ready for yet another upset at the hands of the Romanian and she wasted no time in breaking her opponent’s serve again to register an emphatic first set score line of 6-2. Cirstea still looked in good mood
and didn’t let frustration creep into her mind. She started the second set with immense confidence.
No breakpoints for the first five games witnessed the scores progressing to 3-2 in favour of the Romanian with her opponent to serve the next game. Cirstea broke serve but couldn’t hold the lead for long, as her serve was
also broken in the following game keeping the scores together.
Another trade of breakpoints witnessed the scores cripple to 5-5. Vital hold for the Romanian shifted the pressure on the fourth seed Russian who failed to capitalize on the initial two points lead and lost the set. A stage
was set for an epic final set battle between the two opponents who were hungry to progress into the title match.
Start of the third set witnessed both players scampering side-by-side in the initial eight games; taking the scores to 4-4. Unfortunately for the Romanian, she slipped in the midst of the rally in the ninth game that gifted
the breakpoint to her opponent. Kirilenko was not in a mood to ruin any opportunity like that and she gobbled up the final set triumph with a successful hold in the following game.
Kirilenko plays the winner of the match between Daniela Hantuchova and Su-Wei Hsieh in the final.
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