Yulia Putintseva stuns Kristyna Pliskova to reach final- Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge 2012
Kazakhstani starlet, Yulia Putintseva, surprised everyone after shocking the fifth seed, Kristyna Pliskova from Czech Republic, in a three-set thriller at the Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge 2012 on Friday. She summed up a 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(3) victory against the left-handed Czech to book a place in the title-round at this indoor hard court event taking place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The underdog showed spectacular skills and agility to outshine Pliskova in their first encounter. After notching this victory in almost two and a half hour, Putintseva secured a spot in the final showdown. She made a drastic entry and lost the opening set. However, the Kazakh stayed calm and eventually stole the show at this ITF (International Tennis Federation) Women’s Circuit event.
The world number 110, who recently qualified for the main draw of Australian Open, stormed into the Habtoor Grand Beach Resort and Spa. She reeled off four games in a row before Putintseva could hold on. Pliskova then held her composure and eventually sealed the opener by winning six games to two. She dusted away the only breakpoint she faced and converted two out of three break chances to her advantage.
The 17-year-old rebounded in the proceeding set. She smoothly held her entire serves and got the breakthrough in the last game, eventually pulling out the equaliser with a 6-4 score line. Putintseva warded off the only breakpoint she faced and cashed the lone break opportunity to get back in contention.
Ranked 125th in the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) Premier Rankings, Putintseva maintained consistency in her game in the final set. She smoothly bagged her entire serves without facing any hindrance. The Kazakh squandered all three break chances but dominated in the tie-breaker, eventually clicking the decider with a 7-6(3) win.
Next in queue for Putintseva is the former world number four, Kimiko Date-Krumm, who overpowered China’s Yi-Miao Zhou in straight sets to set up this meeting. The 42-year-old recreated her magic, eventually formulating a 6-2, 6-3 score line. She kept her entire serves with conviction and broke her rival’s serve three times to manipulate this victory.
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