Roberta Vinci edges past Nina Bratchikova in round one – Estoril Open 2102
In a taxing three-setter, the top seed Italian, Roberta Vinci, sneaked a win against the Russian wildcard entrant, Nina Bratchikova, to make her way into the second round of the Estoril Open. The match ended 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 for the
Italian lasting a fraction over an hour and a half.
The Italian veteran speeded her way in the first set, winning first three games courtesy a breakthrough and a couple of serve holds. She broke serve for the second time in the sixth game and gusted past her competitor with a resounding
lead of 5-1. With minimal pressure being exerted in the final game, the Italian top seed eased her way to a set lead and hinted a quick win in the opening clash.
Despite losing the first set in dismal fashion, the 108th ranked Russian stayed focused and started off extremely well in the second set. She broke serve twice on the trot to take an unassailable lead of 4-0, that was
almost impossible for the Italian to recover.
The tables were turned over and the Russian starlet bagged the second with no difficulty at all, winning six out of seven games and sending a strong reply to her rival. It seemed like the Italian top seed will face yet another
early exit in the singles category this year.
The final set proceedings further eased nerves for the Russian who won a critical breakthrough to register an early lead. However, the Italian was quick to reply this time round and levelled the scores at 2-2 but couldn’t control
her serves in the fifth game and gifted the lead back to her opponent.
In the eighth game of the last set, the Italian fought back and bagged a crucial breakthrough that tied the scores at 4-4. An epic battle was witnessed throughout the set. The experience of the Italian was helping her all the way
and she led the scores for the first time in the set with a serve hold in the ninth game. The pressure mounted on the 26-year-old Russian who couldn’t hold her serve in a ‘do or die’ situation and surrendered.
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