Tennis: Cibulkova battles into round two

Simona Halep upset Nadia Petrova in tough three-setter 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 to set up a second-round match with Vesna Dolonc

MOSCOW: Defending champion Dominika Cibulkova battled back from a set down to defeat Ekaterina Makarova 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 and advance to the second round of the Kremlin Cup. “The surface is very much different from the one here last year, and it’s not the best surface I’d say,” said Cibulkova. “It was not easy to get into the rhythm, that’s why I had so many miss hits in the first set. But then I got into the rhythm, hitting more short and running better, and feeling much more comfortable on the court.” Cibulkova will now face Tsvetana Pironkova, who saw off Varvara Lepchenko 6-0, 7-6 (7/3) for a place in the last eight. Meanwhile, Simona Halep upset Nadia Petrova in a tough three-setter 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 to set up a second-round match with Vesna Dolonc.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 18^th, 2012.