Yue-Yue Hu beats Yi-Jing Zhao in the last qualifying round - Guangzhou Int’l Women's Open 2012
In an all-Chinese final qualifying battle, the 22-year-old Yue-Yue Hu edged a year elder compatriot Yi-Jing Zhao in a classic three-setter. She won the match 6-0, 3-6, 6-2 and booked a spot in the main round of the GRC Bank Guangzhou
International Women's Open on Monday.
It was the fourth encounter between the two athletes and the previous head-to-head scores were lead by Hu. However, it was a great opportunity for Zhao to level it with a win but she couldn’t and now trails 1-3. It was an interesting
battle and after being thumped for a bagel, the comeback from pretty fascinating from the 23-year-old Chinese but a half-hearted effort in the deciding battle led to her downfall.
Hu and Zhao are ranked 297 and 298 in the latest edition of world rankings being issued by the Women Tennis Association. Hence, the expectations were high from a small crowd that gathered up to witness the two locals
fight it against one another. They were really happy to see the fighting spirit of Zhao in the second set but were left dejected with the one-sided final set battle.
The opening set was clearly dominated by the 22-year-old Hu. She broke her rival’s serve thrice in succession; allowing her opponent just nine points throughout the set whilst winning 26 on the other end of the court. It was absolute
demolition from one end the merely no resistance at all from the other.
However, the tables were turned upon by the 23-year-old Zhao in the following set. She won two off the allotted three breakpoints and saved one of the two on her serves to retain the lead throughout the set and enforce the deciding
skirmish into play. It was a very astonishing comeback from someone who has been thumped to an embarrassing bagel in the first set.
The final set witnessed a swap of breakpoints at the start with Hu holding her serve in the third game. Both players contested three breakpoints in a row that fell in favour of the younger Chinese and she clasped the victory with
another breakthrough in the final game. The draws are yet to be updated so Hu is still unaware of her first round opponent.
Tags: