Varvara Lepchenko stuns Anabel Medina Garrigues to reach final eight – Mutua Madrid Open 2012
American qualifier, Varvara Lepchenko, shocked the local number one, Anabel Medina Garrigues, in a three-set nail-biter at the Mutua Madrid Madrilena Open 2012 on Thursday. She nudged up a 6-1, 6-7(3), 6-3 success over the 29-year-old to labour into the quarter-finals at this WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) clay court event taking place in Madrid, Spain.
The Tashkent native remained on course to bid for her maiden career title after stunning Medina Garrigues in their second meeting. After stealing the spotlight in two hours and 46 minutes, Lepchenko not only avenged her defeat at the French Open five years ago but also levelled the head-to-head series by 1-1 against the Spaniard.
The 25-year-old thundered into Park Manzanares and drew the first blood in the opening game to jump to a 2-0 lead. After the Spaniard held her serve in the third game, Lepchenko unleashed barrage of groundstrokes and went on a four-game rampage. She brushed off all five breakpoints she faced and capitalised on three out of five break opportunities to pocket the opener with a breadstick.
Medina Garrigues carried her drastic ways in the follow-up set and gifted away her opening serve to fall at 0-2. However, she quickly recovered in the very next game and then held her nerves, dragging the set to the tie-breaker. The Spaniard edged past her rival in it and clinched the equaliser with a 7-6(3) score line.
Ranked 77th in the WTA Premier Rankings, Lepchenko re-gained her early ascendancy and played her best tennis. After Medina Garrigues held her serve in the third game, the American blasted massive forehands to go on a five-game rampage and bagged the decider with a 6-3 success.
The qualifier reached her third and her biggest quarter-final spot where she will encounter the Polish number one, Agnieszka Radwanska.
Lepchenko lost to the world number three in her previous two meetings but she gave her tough time.
"I was really in trouble at the end of the first set," The Pole commented after the Doha match. "When it was 5-4, 40-15 for her, I was thinking I lost the set already and that we would just keep playing. But when you're on the court it doesn't matter what score it is, you just fight until the end. I did a few good shots and won that game, and then after that felt more and more confident.”
With her current run of form, Lepchenko can get the breakthrough and book a final four spot.
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