Tennis: Wozniacki dumped out by Pennetta
Top seed crashes out of China Open, Nadal makes it to Japan Open semis.
BEIJING:
Italian Flavia Pennetta stunned world number one Caroline Wozniacki with a fierce 3-6, 6-0, 7-6 (7/2) comeback in the quarter-finals of the China Open.
The Dane looked to be in control before Pennetta began a fightback, winning the second set to nil and dominating a third set tie-break. Pennetta, world number 26, had lost all five of their previous meetings. Wozniacki has claimed six WTA trophies this season but – despite her world ranking – is still searching for her first grand slam crown.
Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska, the 11th seed and a winner last week in Tokyo, reached the final four after Serbian Ana Ivanovic retired with a back injury while trailing 6-3, 3-2.
Giant-killing Romanian qualifier Monica Niculescu fought back from a set down against former champion Maria Kirilenko to reach the semi-finals and keep her dream run alive. Niculescu, world number 57, who knocked out French Open champion Li Na in the first round, recovered from a slow start to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Niculescu will play the winner of the match between German ninth seed Andrea Petkovic and Russian 13th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
In the men’s draw, third-seed Tomas Berdych crushed Fernando Verdasco 6-1, 6-0 in 65 minutes, one of the heaviest defeats of the Spaniard’s career. Berdych opened with a loss of serve but then turned on the afterburners to win 12 straight games.
“The hard court is much more suitable for my game style, that I can play more aggressive,” said the Czech. “I can give him much more pressure, and he makes mistakes. That’s the game what I want to play.”
Berdych has yet to win a title in 2011. Only he and Frenchman Gael Monfils from the top 10 are without a trophy this year.
He will play his seventh semi-final of the year against either French top-seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero. Croatian Ivan Ljubicic beat Russian Mikhail Youzhny 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (4/7), 6-2 and will next face either South African Kevin Anderson or Croatian Marin Cilic.
Top four to contest Japan Open semis
Defending champion Rafael Nadal fought off a spirited challenge from Colombia’s Santiago Giraldo on Friday as the top four seeds including Andy Murray safely reached the semi-finals of the Japan Open.
Former world number one Nadal, playing his first ATP tournament since losing in the US Open final last month, struggled to break Giraldo’s serve in the first set and needed a tie-break to set him up for a 7-6 (8/6), 6-3 win.
“For me, the mistake was in the third game of the second set at 30-0,” said Nadal. “That was the moment. After a very tough first set, I had a chance to play more relaxed, more aggressive, but I lost that game. He is a very aggressive player. He can hit a winner from every place.”
Nadal will take on American number one Mardy Fish today after the fourth-seed defeated Bernard Tomic of Australia 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-1.
Murray breezes past Nalbandian
Second-seed Murray, fresh from winning the Thailand Open last weekend, breezed past David Nalbandian of Argentina 6-4, 7-5 in just less than 100 minutes.
Briton Murray will play third-seed and 2007 champion David Ferrer of Spain, winner over Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic, 6-2, 7-6 (7/3). AFP
World number 18 Ana Ivanovic
“I’ve been struggling with my back since the beginning of last week. I’ve been doing lots of treatments but it hasn’t been really getting much better. I surprised myself that I got to this stage at all.”
World number 57 Monica Niculescu
“I am really confident. I played four rounds at the US Open this time around. I have also had a little break afterwards, so now I’m feeling fit and expecting a lot from myself.”
World number 10 Tomas Berdych
“The hard court is much more suitable for my game style, since it allows me to play more aggressively. I can give him much more pressure, and he makes mistakes. That’s the game what I want to play.”
World number 2 Rafael Nadal
“For me, the mistake was in the third game of the second set at 30-0. That was the moment. After a very tough first set, I had a chance to play more relaxed, more aggressive, but I lost that game.”
Published in The Express Tribune, October 8th, 2011.
Italian Flavia Pennetta stunned world number one Caroline Wozniacki with a fierce 3-6, 6-0, 7-6 (7/2) comeback in the quarter-finals of the China Open.
The Dane looked to be in control before Pennetta began a fightback, winning the second set to nil and dominating a third set tie-break. Pennetta, world number 26, had lost all five of their previous meetings. Wozniacki has claimed six WTA trophies this season but – despite her world ranking – is still searching for her first grand slam crown.
Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska, the 11th seed and a winner last week in Tokyo, reached the final four after Serbian Ana Ivanovic retired with a back injury while trailing 6-3, 3-2.
Giant-killing Romanian qualifier Monica Niculescu fought back from a set down against former champion Maria Kirilenko to reach the semi-finals and keep her dream run alive. Niculescu, world number 57, who knocked out French Open champion Li Na in the first round, recovered from a slow start to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Niculescu will play the winner of the match between German ninth seed Andrea Petkovic and Russian 13th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
In the men’s draw, third-seed Tomas Berdych crushed Fernando Verdasco 6-1, 6-0 in 65 minutes, one of the heaviest defeats of the Spaniard’s career. Berdych opened with a loss of serve but then turned on the afterburners to win 12 straight games.
“The hard court is much more suitable for my game style, that I can play more aggressive,” said the Czech. “I can give him much more pressure, and he makes mistakes. That’s the game what I want to play.”
Berdych has yet to win a title in 2011. Only he and Frenchman Gael Monfils from the top 10 are without a trophy this year.
He will play his seventh semi-final of the year against either French top-seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero. Croatian Ivan Ljubicic beat Russian Mikhail Youzhny 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (4/7), 6-2 and will next face either South African Kevin Anderson or Croatian Marin Cilic.
Top four to contest Japan Open semis
Defending champion Rafael Nadal fought off a spirited challenge from Colombia’s Santiago Giraldo on Friday as the top four seeds including Andy Murray safely reached the semi-finals of the Japan Open.
Former world number one Nadal, playing his first ATP tournament since losing in the US Open final last month, struggled to break Giraldo’s serve in the first set and needed a tie-break to set him up for a 7-6 (8/6), 6-3 win.
“For me, the mistake was in the third game of the second set at 30-0,” said Nadal. “That was the moment. After a very tough first set, I had a chance to play more relaxed, more aggressive, but I lost that game. He is a very aggressive player. He can hit a winner from every place.”
Nadal will take on American number one Mardy Fish today after the fourth-seed defeated Bernard Tomic of Australia 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-1.
Murray breezes past Nalbandian
Second-seed Murray, fresh from winning the Thailand Open last weekend, breezed past David Nalbandian of Argentina 6-4, 7-5 in just less than 100 minutes.
Briton Murray will play third-seed and 2007 champion David Ferrer of Spain, winner over Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic, 6-2, 7-6 (7/3). AFP
World number 18 Ana Ivanovic
“I’ve been struggling with my back since the beginning of last week. I’ve been doing lots of treatments but it hasn’t been really getting much better. I surprised myself that I got to this stage at all.”
World number 57 Monica Niculescu
“I am really confident. I played four rounds at the US Open this time around. I have also had a little break afterwards, so now I’m feeling fit and expecting a lot from myself.”
World number 10 Tomas Berdych
“The hard court is much more suitable for my game style, since it allows me to play more aggressively. I can give him much more pressure, and he makes mistakes. That’s the game what I want to play.”
World number 2 Rafael Nadal
“For me, the mistake was in the third game of the second set at 30-0. That was the moment. After a very tough first set, I had a chance to play more relaxed, more aggressive, but I lost that game.”
Published in The Express Tribune, October 8th, 2011.