Tsvetana Pironkova spectacular performance in Sofia – Tennis Special
Bulgarian shining star, Tsvetana Pironkova, displayed super tennis at the Qatar Airways Tournament of Champions, a year-ending event taking place in Sofia, Bulgaria. She secured a semi-final berth at this WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) International event
and was delighted for a tournament at her home soil.
Seeded eighth in this event, Pironkova high-spiritedly entered the Armeets Arena. She made a sloppy start and gifted away the opening set against sixth seed Jie Zheng in her first round robin match. However, the Bulgarian sought her rhythm and eventually
carved out the victory in a three-set thriller. She hit back to formulate a 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(4) score line.
In the second round robin match, Pironkova failed to seek her momentum. She was handed a breadstick in the opening set before suffering a 1-6, 4-6 loss against third seed Maria Kirilenko.
The 25-year-old re-kindled her spark against second seed Nadia Petrova in her third round robin match. She made quick in-roads and pocketed the opener with a 7-5 success. However, she failed to convert her chances after that and eventually suffered a 7-5,
1-6, 3-6 loss against the Russian veteran.
Regardless of losing two matches, Pironkova managed to reach semi-finals at this indoor hard court event. She suffered a breadstick against top seed Caroline Wozniacki but enjoyed a great run at his tournament.
Pironkova was delighted for the WTA event coming at her home soil. She was quoted in an interview, "Wow, it was an amazing experience for me. Playing in front of a home crowd for the first time at such a high level was incredibly inspiring and tough at the
same time - and the crowd wasn't just excited for my matches, they were excited for all the players! It felt great to have a home event. It was new for me.”
The local star also thanked sponsors and the tournament organization for this prestigious home event. She also reflected that Government and Prime Minister’s support was the key for this tournament’s success.
"And Sofia was a good host, too - the organization of the tournament was perfect, and I'd like to thank the Bulgarian Tennis Federation for giving me the opportunity to participate at the event,” she commented further.
The Bulgarian is currently training hard for the upcoming season. She is focusing on her serves and especially at her fitness. Pironkova is aiming to carry her rhythm at the upcoming season and is bidding for a WTA title.
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