Nadia Podoroska came back in the decisive set to beat fourth seed and this year’s Wimbledon semifinalist Tatjana Maria 3-6 6-2 7-6 (8-6) in the second round at the Chennai Open.
Maria raced out to a 5-0 lead in the opening set. Podoroska pulled one break back, but Maria held her next service game to seal the first set 6-3.
Podoroska broke twice in the sixth and eighth games to win the second set 6-2. Both players went on serve in the third set to take the decider to the tie-break.
Maria opened up a 5-1 lead, but Podoroska won seven of the last points to win the tie-break 8-6 in 2 hours and 46 minutes. Podoroska took a 10-month break after the 2021 US Open after a series of injuries. Varvara Gracheva beat Carol Zhao 6-1 7-5. Magda Linette cruised past Oksana Selemekhteva 6-2 6-0.
