Valentyna Ivakhnenko dumps Catalina Castano in reach main draw - XXV Italiacom Open 2012
A tight match-up between the 240th ranked Ukrainian, Valentyna Ivakhnenko, and the 244th ranked Colombian, Catalina Castano, was witnessed on the eve of Monday. It was the battle for the main round spot of
the XXV Italiacom Open Championship and the 19-year-old Ukrainian accepted the final set gift from her rival to clinch the win 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.
The 33-year-old Colombian fought like a true warrior until the end but her little mistake in the finishing moments of the match cost her place in the main round of the tournament. It will be a bit tough to blame her for everything
because she wasn’t bad at all especially considering that woman of her age are usually unable to play three-setters with the same level of energy she showed at the clay courts of Palermo.
Both players started with serve old and swapped breakpoints in the meantime to push the scores further. However, the 19-year-old Ukrainian failed to grab a hold of her serve game and lost the breakpoints at the most crucial stages
of the set. It was the last action of the opening battle that went in favour of the experienced Colombian.
The second set witnessed a sweet turnaround in the proceedings that were led by sheer class and domination from the Ukrainian teenager. She grabbed an early breakthrough in the set and doubled the lead with another tremendously
established breakpoint. She continued to fire in the arrows at the rival with accuracy; a rain of winners helped her grab the second set with no problem at all.
It was the deserving twist of the luck for Ivakhnenko who failed to prove her worth in the opening battle. She continued to make progress in the final set; clinched an early breakthrough and coupled it with another breakpoint in
the following return game that ended the match in her favour. It was a pure display for energy and guile from the 19-year-old Ukrainian who will definitely squeeze her way into the Top-100 players in the world in the coming year.
Match featured 183 points altogether from which the Ukrainian teen managed to grab 97 off them. She won six of the allotted 17 breakpoints. She saved six breakpoints to keep her chances alive in the match as well. It was a combination
of young willpower meeting best of the fortune.
Ivakhnenko will take on another booming starlet from Great Briton, Laura Robson, in the opening round.
Tags: