Agnieszka Radwanska fought back from a set down to overcome Anna Lena Friedsman in three sets with 6-7 (6-8) 6-1 7-5 and more than two hours and a half hours at the Hisense Arena in Melbourne to reach the quarter finals at the Australian Open.
Friedsman got an early break to race out to a 4-1 lead in the first set. Radwanska reeled off four consecutive games to take a 5-4 lead. The first set came down to a very tight tie-break where Friedsman took the edge with a forehand volley and sealed the first set with 8-6.
Radwanska raced to a 2-0 lead en route to claiming the 26-minute second set with 6-1. The Pole opened up a 2-0 lead but Friedsman reeled off five consecutive games to go up 5-2. Radwanska served to stay in the match but she clawed her way into the match by winning the next three games.
Radwanska survived a big scare when world number 82 Friedsman served for the match at 5-4 but she suffered from cramps in her left leg after Radwanska broke serve to draw level to 5-all. The German player was in tears in the last two games tried serving underarm as the cramps worsened but received a warning and a point penalty in her last service game for taking too long to serve to hand Radwanska a 6-5 lead. Radwanska served out for the match after trailing 2-5 in the third set to set up a quarter final against the winner of the match between Carla Suarez Navarro and Daria Gavrilova.
Radwanska is bidding to win her first Grand Slam title after winning the WTA Finals trophy in Singapore last October.
“We just played two weeks ago and I knew it was going to be a tough one. She is definitely playing better than her ranking, and definitely she was playing amazing today. I am very glad to be in the quarter finals again. Of course, I am doing everything in my power to make the final here for the first time. It’s not gonna be any easier in the next round, so fingers crossed”, said Radwanska.
