Tsvetana Pironkova battles past Silvia Soler-Espinosa to qualify for the fourth round – US Open 2012
Ranked 55th in the WTA Premier rankings, Tsvetana Pironkova trounced the Spanish contender, Silvia Soler-Espinosa, in the third round of the US Open 2012. The Bulgarian native disposed her rival 6-1,
6-7(3), 6-3 and dived into the fourth round of the Grand Slam event held at USTA Billie Jean King National Centre in New York, United States.
Pironkova in a post match interview told the media, “I was up a set and 4-1 and got a little bit shaky. My serve started going out. I couldn't put it in the court. It made things complicated. We got a bit of a break and it
helped me to concentrate again. After that I was just trying to put my serve in, because that was very important in the match. I'm very, very happy I managed to win today. It's a funny thing - I really love playing the major tournaments, not just the Grand
Slams, but the other big ones too. They motivate me. It makes me play better.”
The 24-year-old displayed an exceptional game plan in the opening set of the match, confidently holding her entire serves without facing any barriers and broke her rival’s serve twice. Carrying the rhythm, she capitalized
her notable set win with a bread stick.
The second set proved to be a tough challenge to the Spanish professional. She kicked forward with a slower start and was unable to hold her initial serve. The Bulgarian marched forward to clinch the first three games and
wrapped up her 3-love lead. Suddenly, the game shifted momentum, as Espinosa equalled the scores three times and dragged the set into a tie-break. After a tough encounter, she surfaced as a surprise winner with 7(3)-6.
Unfortunately, the 24-year-old Spanish tried her utmost to keep her proactive style but she had to face a real rough ride and lost the deciding set with a 3-6 score line.
Pironkova pounced 10 aces against her opponent and committed double faults six times in the match. She had an average first serve percentage of 55, winning 46 of 57 points on it. Alongside that, she won six of the nine break
points and Espinosa only secured three of eight serve breaks offered. The Spanish contender double faulted six times and grabbed 19 of 40 points.
The Bulgarian participant's next challenge is the Serbian tennis professional, Ana Ivanovic, seeded 12th in the Grand Slam and battled past Sloane Stephens, 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2 in the preceding round.
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