Tamira Paszek dumps Angelique Kerber to conquer the Eastbourne title – AEGON International 2012
A stunning outcome was witnessed in the final showdown of the AEGON International, with the Austrian underdog contender, Tamira Paszek, ousting the world number eight, Angelique Kerber, to claim her first title of the running season. The three-set thriller took two hours and 45 minutes to get settled at 5-7, 6-3, 7-5, in favour of the 21-year-old Paszek on Saturday afternoon in Eastbourne, United Kingdom.
Rising to the world number 37 spot after her title victory, Paszek has been the real surprise package throughout the tournament. She was having a 2-13 winning record for the season before entering the AEGON International tournament as the unseeded contestant but her sublime performances have stunned every tennis fan. The Austrian beat all the odds in the final of the event and came back from a one-set deficit to drive the hot favourite German number one out of the title match in style. Eastbourne has witnessed a number of upsets this time round but the one in the title match was the biggest of them all.
Kerber has been absolutely invincible in Eastbourne and was bidding for her third championship title of the year. She took off the contest in grand fashion, bagging the opening set after a stiff contest but then gradually kept losing her steam in the following sets to let her opponent take the better of her. She dropped the second set in a dismal manner but a fierce battle was witnessed in the decisive set of the match, eventually settling in favour of the 21-year-old Austrian.
"It was kind of weird, because the game before I slipped on the court, and I kind of hurt my Achilles and the ankle a bit, so I wasn't even thinking about the score or what was going on," said delighted Paszek. "I kept going, won that game, then was just like, 'Okay, whatever, just keep playing and try to focus on every point.' I don't know what kept me going, how I kept going. I was dead tired in the third set. I could hardly move. I just gave all I had left, and it was just enough."
A title victory just before the beginning of Wimbledon Championships will certainly boost her confidence to a whole new level and she will not be rated as an underdog in the Grand Slam tournament in London. Her opponents must keep their eyes open of her crafty game play and they better not take her lightly, as did the contestants in Eastbourne and paid the price later on.
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