Monica Puig bounces over Mervana Jugic-Salkic in round one – Ankara Cup 2012
Puerto Rican challenger, Monica Puig made an epic comeback from a set down to outshine Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Mervana Jugic-Salkic in a three-set thriller at the Ankara Cup 2012 on Monday. She jolted down a 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-1 victory against the Bosnia and Herzegovinian to power into the second round at this ITF (International Tennis Federation) Women’s Circuit event taking place in Ankara, Turkey.
The Puerto Rican teenager made a drastic entry at this indoor hard court tournament. However, she found her rhythm in the second set’s tie-breaker and ultimately clicked the match with a breadstick. As a result, Puig progressed into the round of 16 and inched closer towards the prize money.
The 32-year-old made quick in-roads at the Ankara Tennis Club. She drew the first blood in the second game and leaped to a 3-0 lead. Puig lost her edge towards the end but remained calm, eventually pulling out the opener after getting the breakthrough in the last game. She failed to ward off the lone breakpoint she faced but cashed both break opportunities to formulate a 6-3 success.
Seeded second in this event, Puig re-focused her strategy in the following set. She exchanged two serve breaks near the end and dragged the set to a tie-breaker. The Puerto Rican dominated in it and subsequently clicked the equaliser with a 7-6(4) win. She brushed off two match points she encountered and converted two out of five break chances to her advantage.
Ranked 133rd in the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) Premier Rankings, Puig went out of control in the deciding set. After Jugic-Salkic held her serve in the second game, the Puerto Rican unleashed barrage of groundstrokes and went on a five-game tear. She was never threatened with any barrier and availed both break chances to pocket the decider with a breadstick.
Next in line for Puig is the winner of an all-qualifier clash between Russia’s Yuliya Kalabina and the German contestant, Kristina Barrois.
The seventh seed, Aleksandra Krunic, will join Puig in the proceeding round. She triumphed over the Romanian challenger, Madalina Gojnea, in straight sets to secure this spot.
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