Yi-Miao Zhou upset Sacha Jones in the final round of the qualifiers – PTT Pattaya Open 2012
Chinese rising star, Yi-Miao Zhou, surprised everyone after upsetting the qualifying sixth seed, Sacha Jones of Australia, in troublesome three sets at the qualifying competition of the PTT Pattaya Open 2012 on Monday. She manipulated a 6-3, 6-7(9), 6-2
success over the world number 231 to advance into the main draw at this WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) International event held on the hard courts in Pattaya City, Thailand.
The 20-year-old Chinese required three sets to stun Jones at the Dusit Thani Hotel. Facing each other for the first time, Zhou took full advantage of the several unforced errors and the lower first serve share the seed clobbered, eventually earning the glory
in two hours and 46-minutes.
Ranked 627th in the WTA Premier Rankings, Zhou nervously stepped on the Thai courts and gifted away her serve in the third game. However, she made a fitting reply and went on a five games rampage. The Chinese then held her serve once more and
bagged the opener by winning six games to three.
The Aussie continued displaying her drastic ways in the following set and suffered the first blow in the opening game. In spite of levelling the scores at 2-2, she lost her serve in the very next game to trail at 2-4. Jones then snatched her break back in
the tenth game and after exchanging another serve break, she took the set to a tie-breaker. The 21-year-old prevailed in it and ultimately won the equaliser with a 7-6(9) score line.
Zhou raised the level of her game again in the final set and stroke out the opening three games successively. She then maintained her intensity and not only swiped in remaining serves but broke the Aussie’s serve again in the last game, subsequently sealing
the decider with a 6-2 win.
Third seed, Su-Wei Hsieh, will accompany the Chinese into the main draw. She outclassed Zhou’s compatriot, Qiang Wang, in straight sets to secure a place in the first round. The Taiwanese lost her serve twice but broke Wang’s serve four times to seal the
success with a 6-4, 6-3 score line in 70-minutes.
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