Related News
Allertova stuns Halep in Guangzhou quarters
Print Edition
CZECH Denisa Allertova stunned world No. 2 Simona Halep 6-4, 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the Guangzhou International Women’s Open yesterday.
The win against the Romanian top seed gave the 22-year-old, ranked world No. 74, only her second victory against a top 10 player after she defeated Carla Suarez Navarro in the first round of the US Open recently.
After going up 5-4 in the first set, Allertova won six of the next seven games for a 5-1 lead in the second and then closed the match out with a backhand winner.
“I have amazing feelings because I won against Simona Halep — she’s a great player, ranked No. 2. I can breathe now!” Allertova told the WTA website after the match.
“I don’t know, I was just trying to focus every point, not looking who’s on the other side, just focusing on myself and playing my tennis. I was fighting every point and it worked. I’m so happy.
“It was my first time playing such a top player like this, but at the US Open I played against Suarez Navarro, also an amazing player, a top 10 player, and I beat her, but it’s the first time in my life to have a win like this.”
Unseeded Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium earlier defeated another Romanian in sixth seed Monica Niculescu 6-2, 6-2 while third-seeded Sara Errani powered past local hope Zheng Saisai 6-1, 6-0 for a semifinal meeting with Allertova.
Number four seed Jelena Jankovic of Serbia also reached the last four by defeating fifth-seeded Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-2, 7-5.
In Tokyo, Japan, defending champion Ana Ivanovic survived a brave challenge from Italian Camila Giorgi yesterday at the Pan Pacific Open, managing a tough 7-5, 6-2 victory.
The victory put the Serb second seed in a quarterfinal against Dominika Cibulkova in a rematch of the US Open where Ivanivic was ousted by the Slovak.
Ivanovic struggled to keep full control of the match particularly during the first set when she suffered five double faults, as Giorgi fired a succession of big serves and deep returns to keep their gap within close margins.
In the second set, Giorgi led 2-0, as the world No. 12 Ivanovic vented her frustration. Later, however, Ivanovic snapped back winning the next six straight games and the set 6-2 in one hour and 39 minutes.
“I am very happy to have the victory because it was a very, very tough match,” said Ivanovic, who won the Tokyo event last year by beating Caroline Wozniacki in the final. The Dane is also here to regain the trophy that she lifted in 2010 and is the top-seed this year.
“She (Giorgi) has been playing very well, hitting the balls very deep. I had to stay low and she generated a lot of power on ground strokes as well as serves,” Ivanovic said.
The Serb said she was eager to fight Cibulkova after the US Open. “I really feel like I am ready for revenge. I had great preparation. I really did everything possible to get in shape,” she said.
“Hopefully, I can get the better of her this time,” she said.
In other matches, Agnieszka Radwanska, 2011 Pan Pacific winner, cruised by Elina Svitolina with a 6-4, 6-1 victory.
In a quarterfinal, the seventh-seed Pole will face fourth-seed Czech rising star Karolina Pliskova, who beat Kurumi Nara of Japan 6-2, 6-4.
Radwanska won all of their three previous matches.
Cibulkova beat sixth-seed Carla Suarez Navarro 6-4, 6-4.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
