Urszula Radwanska edges Alexandra Panova to reach the semi-final – Tashkent Open 2012
World number 40, Urszula Radwanska, bounced back a set down to oust the 89th ranked Russian professional, Alexandra Panova, in the quarter-final of the Tashkent Open on Thursday. She lost the opening set 5-7 but did
well to win the second phase 6-2. An epic final set battle witnessed a match ended in a tie-breaker round that was inched ahead 7-6(3) by the 21-year-old Pole.
At the end of the match, Radwanska told the reporters, “It was a great and close match. I tried to focus on every point and feel a little lucky to have pulled it out against a good friend. All credit to her for her play today."
Panova registered a traditional beginning to the encounter; winning the first game 1-0 and breaking her opponent’s serve to take a lead of 2-0. She continued to hammer Radwanska and cruised away to a lead of 3-0. However, the sucker
punch from the second seed Pole was good enough to earn her the breakpoint back and equalize the scores at 3-3.
Both players failed to create impact on their rival’s serve in the following five games of the match before the Russian seventh seed edged the 12th game that lasted almost 15 minutes. It was an uncalled ending for the
Pole who was eyeing a positive start to the encounter.
An emphatic start to the second set helped the Pole star to regroup. She clinched the breakpoint in the third game and another in the seventh to make it 5-2 in her favour. It was such a score line that wasn’t expected by anyone
especially after a tight first set battle. The 21-year-old Pole held her serve to love in the following game and enforced the decider into play.
Panova held her serve in the first game of the final set before the contestants traded breakpoints. Radwanska lost just one point on her second serve game and made it 2-2. She carried the momentum further; bagged the second breakpoint
in the fifth game and took a lead of 4-2 courtesy a comfortable serve hold.
In a ‘do or die’ game, the 23-year-old Russian restored the respect with a breakpoint and levelled the scores at 5-5. Both players swapped breakpoints in the following two games to enforce the tie-breaker. Finally, the Pole managed
to win the match and booked a date with the 16-year-old Croatian kid, Donna Vekic, who came all the way through the qualifying round into the semis.
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