Melanie Klaffner upsets Margarita Lazareva to reach title-round – Djibouti 2012 ITF
Austrian youngster, Melanie Klaffner, stunned the second seed, Margarita Lazareva, in straight sets at the Djibouti ITF 2012 on Friday. She penned down a 6-3, 6-4 victory against the left-handed Russian to power into the final showdown at this ITF (International
Tennis Federation) Women’s Circuit event taking place in Djibouti.
Seeded fourth in this event, Klaffner ruled throughout the battle, eventually carving out the victory in almost one hour and 15 minutes. Battling each other for the first time, the Austrian comfortably progressed into the final round at this outdoor hard
court tournament.
Klaffner assertively entered the Centre de Tennis de Gabode 4. She drew the first blood in the second game and jumped to a 3-0 lead. Apart from losing her edge in the fifth game, the Austrian cashed another break chance and eventually sealed the opener with
a 6-3 win. She warded off three out four breakpoints she faced and converted both break opportunities to inch closer towards her goal.
Ranked 431st in the WTA Premier Rankings, Klaffner kept her momentum flowing in the following set. She got the coveted break in the opening game and took the initial lead. The Austrian lost her edge in the sixth game but remained focused. She
capitalised on another break chance near the end and eventually clicked the set with a 6-4 win. The Austrian brushed off two out of three breakpoints she encountered but availed two out of five break opportunities to dominate.
Klaffner ruled throughout the tournament. She received a first round bye after being a seeded player. The Austrian triumphed over Russia’s Alina Mikheeva with a 7-6(5), 6-2 score line in almost one and a half hour.
She then cruised into the quarters where Russia’s Yana Sizikova awaited her. The Austrian barely sweated in the opening set before closing out the victory in less than an hour.
Next up for Klaffner is the third seed, Amandine Hesse, who stunned top seeded Anna Floris in a three-set mouth-watering match to set up this meeting. The French youngster lost her track in the second set but remained calm, eventually clobbering a 6-3, 4-6,
6-4 victory.
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