Paula Ormaechea rallies past Bethanie Mattek-Sands to reach final qualifier – Brussels Open 2012
Eighth seed, Paula Ormaechea of Argentina, bounced back after losing the second set to overcome the challenge of American contender, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, in the second qualifier at the Brussels Open in Belgium on Sunday. Ormaechea
outlasted Mattek-Sands in three sets 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 after a fierce fight of two hours and 40 minutes.
Ormaechea and Mattek-Sands started steadily, as they did not allow the other to break in the first four games to level the score at 2-2. It was all Ormaechea show afterwards, as the Argentinean played flawlessly to capture four
consecutive games and triumph 6-2.
The 5ft 7in tall, Ormaechea, fired a couple of aces and the equal number of double faults in the opening set. She kept her first serve percentage at 57 and bagged 18 of the 27 points on them. The Argentinean did amazing stuff,
as she avoided all the nine break threats she faced and capitalised on two of the seven chances she received.
In the second set, both players began in a similar fashion to the first, holding their serve in the first four games to take the score to 2-2. Ormaechea was looking to wrap up the match quickly, as she broke her opponent in the
fifth but Mattek-Sands hit back immediately to even it out at 3-3. The American struck in the eighth game to move ahead 5-3 but this time it was Ormaechea who broke back without wasting any time, reducing the trail to 4-5. After all the back and forth stuff,
Mattek-Sands hit decisively to grab it 6-4.
The American neither delivered an ace nor made any double fault in the second set. The 27-year-old hit 63 percent of the first serves and converted nine of the 15 of them into points. Mattek-Sands was unable to save the two break
points she faced but compensated that by converting all the three she created.
The start of the decider was not different from the previous two sets, as Ormaechea and Mattek-Sands won their opening four serves to equalise the score at 2-2. The Argentinean struck again in the ninth to seal it 6-3.
Ormaechea did not hit any ace and committed a couple of double faults, keeping her first serve percentage at merely 54. Nevertheless, the Argentinean had an outstanding conversion rate, capturing 12 of the 13 points on the first
deliveries.
Ranked 122nd in the world, Ormaechea will play Arantxa Rus in the final qualifier.
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