TENNIS DIAMOND GAMES IN ANTWERP – Czech rising star Karolina Pliskova won the derby with her compatriot Lucie Safarova in straight sets with 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 to become the first player to get through to the semifinals of the Diamond Games in Antwerp, a WTA Premier Tournament. Diego Sanpaolo
Czech rising star Karolina Pliskova won the derby with her compatriot Lucie Safarova in straight sets with 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 to become the first player to get through to the semifinals of the Diamond Games in Antwerp, a WTA Premier Tournament. Pliskova converted on her only break point and saved four break points she faced.
“It is always difficult to play against someone from your country. I felt that whoever won the first set today would win the second set. She was better in the first set and served better than me. She had more break points and served better than me. At the end of the first set I played two good games and I think that it made the difference, especially in the second set”, said Pliskova
The young Czech player will take on Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro who beat 2010 Roland Garros champion Francesca Schiavone 6-3 6-2. The score does not reflect the real level of the match as the first eleven games were hard-fought and went at deuce. The first set was very tight and lasted 1 hour and 5 minutes. Schiavone raced to 3-0 and got five points for a 4-0 lead before Suarez Navarro reeled off seven consecutive games and 12 of the next 14 games before clinching the win on her third match point to qualify for her first Premier-level semifinal.
Schiavone, who has won her first match against a top-10 player since 2012 beating Angelique Kerber 6-1 6-1 on Thursday, keep up with Suarez Navarro in the first set but she converted on one of her 11 break point chances.
“Francesca played a very good match. She played really aggressive at the beginning. After being down I am really happy I was able to win the match in straight sets”
Pliskova won their previous head-to-head match in the quarter finals at Sydney with 4-6 6-4 6-0.
Andrea Petkovic qualified for her 21st WTA semifinal with a 7-6 6-0 over last year’s Australian Open finalist Dominika Cibulkova. In tomorrow’s semifinal Petkovic will face Czech player Barbora Zahlavova Strycova who beat German Mona Barthel 6-2 6-2. The German player celebrated her return to the top-10 in the WTA Ranking. It’s her best ranking since 2012. Starting from next week Petkovic will spend her 27th week in the top-10. She had her best season in 2011 when she reached the quarter final in three Grand Slams at the Australian Open, at the Roland Garros and at the US Open. She reached the semifinals last year at the Roland Garros. Earlier this week she saved eight match points before battling past Alison Van Uytvank with 6-7 7-6 6-2.
