Camila Giorgi came back from one set down to upset Carla Suarez Navarro 2-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 in two hours and 18 minutes at the Ladies Open Biel Bienne reaching her second quarter final in 2017. Earlier this year the Italian player advanced to the semifinal in Shenzhen.
The opening set started with a trade of breaks in the first two games. Suarez Navarro broke serve to love in the third game and in at deuce in the fifth game. The Spanish player served out for the first set to love in the eighth game.
The Spanish player took Giorgi to deuce on five of her service games. Giorgi rallied from 0-40 in the first game to hold her first service game. She held her serve in the third game at deuce and saved two break points in the seventh game. Giorgi was the first to break serve in the eighth game of the second set. Suarez Navarro broke straight back, as Giorgi was serving for the set at 5-4.
Suarez Navarro saved a set point to force the set to the tie-break. Giorgi got the mini-break to earn three set points at 6-3. She did not convert her first two set points but sealed the second set 7-5 on her third opportunity.
After a trade of breaks in the first two games of the third set Giorgi got another break in the third game and held her serve in the next game to open up a 3-1 lead. Giorgi converted her third break point in a hard-fought fifth game. Giorgi dropped her serve in the sixth game after making three unforced errors but got another break in the seventh game. The Italian player rallied from 15-40 before failing to convert her first match point. She sealed the win on her second match point.
Giorgi held two crucial service games in the third set which featured six breaks of serve before wrapping up the match.
Giorgi hit 29 unforced errors but made 53 winners, while Suarez Navarro produced 13 winners and 13 unforced errors. The Spanish player converted on just six of her 15 break points.
Giorgi will face either Viktorija Golubic or Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the quarter final.
Top seed Barbora Strykova saw off Carina Witthoeft 6-2 7-6 (8-6). Strykova got a double break in the first and eighth games to win the opening set 6-2. The Czech player broke in the seventh game of the second set to build up a 6-2 5-3 lead. Witthoeft came back by reeling off three consecutive games to take a 6-5 lead after getting a break in the 10th game. The German player earned two set points in the 12th game. Strykova fended off both opportunities before taking a 8-6 win in the tie-break.
Strykova has reached her third quarter final of the year and the first since Sydney last January. She will face Julia Goerges, who beat Oceane Dodin in straight sets on Wednesday.
“I was playing a good match. I felt great on the court, serving for the match at 5-4. I didn’t make it there, but Carina was playing amazing tennis and it was a tough game for me with all the long rallies. I am happy I made it through because the tie-break was on and off. My serve was also working well in the end”, said Strykova.
