Czech 17-year-old rising star Marketa Vondrousova rallied from one break down in the first set to beat top seed Barbora Strykova 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 to qualify for the first final of her career at the Ladies Open in Biel Bienne. The young Czech player will take on Estonian Aneit Kontaveit, who battled past Aliaksandra Sasnovich from Belarus 6-4 4-6 7-5. Vondrousova reached her first semifinal at WTA tour level after playing two Grand Slam semifinals and winning two doubles titles in Major tournaments as a junior.
Both players traded breaks in the first two games. Strykova broke serve in the Sixth game to race out to a 5-2 lead before earning a set point in the 12th game of the first set. Vondrousova rallied by saving the set point and broke back in the ninth game to draw level to 5-5 forcing the first set to the tie-break. Vondrousova earned three set points at 6-3 in the tie-break and converted it on his first opportunity to win the tie-break 7-3.
The Czech teenager got a double break in the sixth and eighth games to win the second set by 6-2.
Vandrousova hit 22 winners to 13 unforced errors, while Strykova produced 13 winners to 20 unforced errors.
“It’s really amazing. I didn’t expect this, but I played really great tennis, stayed focused on every point and I made it, I didn’t know I could play this good. We don’t know each other, so I just played my game. I am a bit tired, but I was able to stay focused today”, said Vandrousova.
In the first semifinal Kontaveit got her only break in the 10th game to win the first set 6-4. Sasnovich went up a double break in the third and fifth games to race out to a 5-1 lead. Kontaveit saved a set point before getting one break back in the 8th game to claw her way back to 4-5. Sasnovich served out for the second set on her second point.
Sasnovich got an early break in the first game of the third set. Kontaveit broke back in the fourth game to draw level to 2-2. After two service holds Sasnovich broke serve in the seventh game but Kontaveit broke straight back in the next game to draw level to 4-4. Kontaveit rallied from 30-40 down on Sasnovich’s serve to break serve on her fourth match point in the 12th game to win the decider 7-5. Kontaveit hit 26 winners to Sasnovich’s 29 and made 17 unforced errors to the Belarussian’s 29.
Kontaveit reached the 2012 US Open Junir final. She has returned to the top 100 after reaching the third round in Miami.
“I was down a break twice in the third set, but I tried to stay in there even though she was playing really well. I was just trying to stay with her, do what I always do, fight and not give up . Mentally I toughed it out”, said Kontaveit.
