Number 2 seed Petra Kvitova overcame US qualifier Jennifer Brady 7-5 1-6 6-3 after 2 hours and 12 minutes to reach the quarter final at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships for the first time since her title in 2013.
Brady came back from 0-40 down to hold her serve in the opening game after saving two break points. The US player won 92 % of her first serve points in the opening set and made one double fault in four of her five service games. Kvitova earned the first break of the match in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead. Brady broke straight back in the sixth game to draw level to 3-3. Serving to stay in the set at 4-5, Kvitova hit a lob, when she was two points from losing the first set, and won eight consecutive points. The Czech player hit a drop-shot to break Brady at love in the 11th game and converted her second set point with a backhand winner down the line.
Brady saved four break points in the first game of the second set. The US player broke in the second game after a double fault from Kvitova and went up a double break in the fourth game to race out to a 4-0 lead, when Kvitova’s drop shot failed to reach the other side of the net.
Kvitova saved two break points in the sixth game, as she was serving to avoid the bagel. Brady hit a backhand down the line winner, as she serving for the set, to seal the second set 6-1.
Kvitova made 16 unforced errors in her seven service games in the second set. The Czech player saved two break points in the first game of the third set with unreturnable serves before breaking serve in the second game, as Brady made her sixth double fault and a series of groundstroke errors. Kvitova held serve in the ninth game to reach the quarter final.
Halep scores her second consecutive win over Tsurenko
Simona Halep beat Lesla Tsurenko 6-3 7-5 to reach the quarter final in Dubai. The Romanian star scored her second consecutive win over her Ukrainian rival in as many weeks at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships a few days after her 6-2 6-3 win in the second round at the Doha Qatar Total Open.
Two holds of serve were followed by six breaks in the next seven games. Halep got the first break at serve at love in the third game to take a 2-1 lead. Tsurenko broke straight back in the fourth game at deuce, but Halep broke again at 30 in the fifth game before taking a crucial hold at 15 to open up a 4-2 lead. Both players dropped serve with a double fault in the next two games. Tsurenko saved the first break point in the ninth game but Halep converted her second chance on return after a long rally to seal the first set 6-3.
Tsurenko went up an early break at 30 in the first game of the second set. Halep broke back in the fourth game to draw level to 2-2 after three backhand errors from Tsurenko.
Tsurenko held serve at love in the eight game to draw level to 4-4 before breaking serve at 15 in the ninth game with a forehand return earning her chance to serve for the set at 5-4. Halep rallied from 0-15 down to break back for 5-5. Halep won the final 12 points of the match to seal the second set with a break at love in the 12th game securing her spot in the quarter final, where she will face either Aryna Sabalenka or Belinda Bencic.
Hsieh Su Wei upsets Kerber
Unseeded Hsieh Su Wei came back from one set down to upset last year’s Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber 5-7 6-4 6-0.
Hsieh got the first break at 15 in the second game to take a 2-0 lead but Kerber won three consecutive games with two consecutive breaks to take a 3-2 lead. Hsieh converted her third break-back point chance in the eghth game to draw level to 4-4. Kerber won the final three games with a break of serve in the 11th game to close out the first set 7-5.
Hsieh earned the first break of the second set in the sixth game to take a 4-2 lead. Kerber broke straight back in the seventh game and held serve after saving three break points to draw level to 4-4. Hsieh won 12 of the final 13 points and broke three times in a row to take a bagel win in the third set.
“How did I win ? I tried very hard. The first two sets, we bot tried super hard, so it was very close. In the final set I did little bit more. I feel more relaxed in the final set, so I gained the match pretty well”, said Hsieh Su-wei.
Viktoria Kuzmova came back from 1-6 3-5 down to beat Sofia Kenin 1-6 7-5 6-2 after saving three match points at 3-5 in the second set. Kuzmova reeled off 10 of the final 11 games to close out the third set 6-2.
