Mathilde Johansson shocks Cetkovska to reach semis – Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem 2012
French lucky loser, Mathilde Johansson, jolted down the third seed, Petra Cetkovska, in straight sets at the Grand Prix De SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem 2012 on Thursday. She formulated a 6-3, 6-4 victory against the world number
30 to cruise into the final four at the Royal Tennis Club de Fes in Morocco.
Johansson lost in the final qualifying round to Arina Rodionova and was eyeing to improve her 0-10 win-loss record at Estoril. However, when Ekaterina Makarova pulled out from the tournament, the French secured a main draw spot.
She displayed superb skills in it and stunned eighth seeded Shahar Peer before encountering the Czech.
The world number 108 let her spark lit in this quarter-final clash and after displaying excellent skills in this 79-minute battle, she outshined Cetkovska in their third outing. As a result, the French not only took lead in the
head-to-head series by 2-1 against the 27-year-old but also stayed on track to become the first lucky loser to reach the final showdown since Melinda Czink seven years ago.
"I don't think I played my best tennis today as I was tense playing against my practice partner," Johansson stated in a post-match press conference. "We share the same coach, and I think these matches against someone you know well
can be difficult. I was happy to come through and hopefully I can improve in the semi-finals."
The Sweden-born Johansson made a sluggish start at this WTA International-level tournament and suffered the first blow in the opening game. She recovered in the very next game but only to see herself trailing at 1-2 after losing
her serve again. However, he re-structured after that and not only recovered in the fourth game but capitalised on another break chance in the eighth game, eventually sealing the opener with a 6-3 win.
Ranked 108th in the WTA Premier Rankings, Johansson lost her track again towards the following set. She gifted away her opening serve in the second game and went 0-2 down. However, the French made a spectacular reply
and went on a five-game killing spree before Cetkovska could snatch a break back. Johansson held her serve once more and clicked the set with a 6-4 score line.
Next in line for the French is Laura Pous-Tio of Spain who slaughtered Irina-Camelia Begu with a breadstick to set-up this clash. The Spaniard lost her serve once but cashed in five out of eight break chances to earn the fame.
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