Day 6 of Australian Open 2019, and opening match on Rod Laver Arena was:
Shuai Zhang (CHN) v Elina Svitolina (6) (UKR)
Svitolina began the match, serving first, with a forehand winner. An ace followed. A love game and 1-0.
An unforced error each and 15-15. A forehand from Svitolina forced the error, then an unforced Zhang mistake brought up two break points. A volley winner saved one. The second was also saved. A Zhang backhand winner and game point. Deuce after a running Svitolina backhand. Zhang eventually held. 1-1.
Ace for 15-0. Zhang attacked the forehand and ended up drawing an error. Svitolina backhand pass. 30-15. Svitolina backhand won the game. 2-1.
Zhang, with a backhand winner and volley success, plus ace, held for 2-2. Ace from Svitolina 30-0. Double fault and 30-30. Backhands won the game for Svitolina. 3-2.
Svitolina volley winner produced break point on the Zhang serve. Saved. A second break point saved with forehand winner. Third break chance vanished. Ultimately, Svitolina broke serve and led 4-2.
Break back points on Svitolina serve. Both saved. Great backhand from Svitolina and equally great backhand response by Zhang. Deuce. Ace, and good reply. Backhand volley from Zhang and break point. Backhand for the break. 3-4.
4-4 after Zhang held, Svitolina errors mounting.
Two forehand errors each and 30-30. Forehand winner from China and break point. Volley for the break. 5-4 Zhang and serving for the set.
Svitolina hit long and Zhang led 15-0. Backhand winner 30-0. Another one and three set points. A netted forehand from Zhang and one saved. Set won with yet another backhand winner - one of 20 overall winners for the set.
Good opening game in set two for Svitolina, holding serve to love.
From 30-0, Zhang lost ground, and a pair of unforced errors gave Svitolina break point. The sixth seed then committed a trio of unforced errors of her own to allow Zhang to hang on and level at 1-1.
Svitolina held comfortably for 2-1, as did Zhang for 2-2.
Five unforced errors - three from Zhang - and Svitolina had game point. She led 3-2.
Svitolina requested treatment on her neck/shoulder.
Svitolina forehand error and Zhang forehand winner 30-0. Service winner and two points. Forehand forced error from Svitolina and 3-3.
Ace from Svitolina and Zhang winning backhand. 15-15. Forehand error and forehand winner from Svitolina. 30-30. The players ended up at deuce after Svitolina saved a break point. Ace for game point. Slashing Svitolina forehand for 4-3.
Forehand Zhang winner 15-0. Svitolina netted return 30-0. Zhang backhand long 30-15. Terrific forehand down the line from Zhang. Serve held and 4-4.
Wonderful rally ended with a Zhang mistake forced by a Svitolina backhand. Forehand winner from Zhang and 15-15. Svitolina forehand volley and then a forehand miss from the same racquet. 30-30. Game point after a Zhang miss wide. Hold for Svitolina. 5-4.
Svitolina won a net exchange and Zhang had 0-15. A Chinese error and 0-30. Netted forehand by Zhang and three set points. One saved. Zhang forehand saved the second. A Svitolina forehand winner on the third set point clinched it 6-4 and a decider was required.
Medical timeout for Svitolina.
Back from the treatment, Svitolina faced two break points in the opening game of set three - a double fault generously gave the break to Zhang who led 1-0. A Zhang forehand closed out the next game to give her a 2-0 advantage.
Svitolina led 30-15, before a Zhang forehand winner. A Svitolina error created break point, and another confirmed a double break. Zhang ahead 3-0 and crisis for the sixth seed.
A fight back when backhand and forehand winners from Svitolina granted her a break point. An unforced error from Zhang and one of the breaks was equalised. 1-3. Svitolina back in the match for certain, holding serve for the first time in the set. 2-3.
At 30-30, Zhang screwed up a backhand, giving Svitolina a break point, and the sixth seed used it to the maximum, a winning forehand levelling the set at 3-3. Down two break points, Svitolina forced Zhang into a backhand error, then was happy to receive three unforced forehand errors from Zhang enabling a service hold. 4-3 Svitolina.
From 40-30, Zhang went to deuce three times, wasted a game point, survived one break point, but dropped serve on a second break chance when Svitolina hit a forehand winner. Five games in a row and the sixth seed led 5-3. A chance to serve for the match.
Zheng continually forced Svitolina into backhand problems and on the second break back chance, it was too much and the backhand was again astray. 4-5, and back on serve.
Three Zhang winners and 5-5.
Two Svitolina winners to end her service game and she led 6-5. Zhang needed a tie break to win.
Zhang was in the balance at 30-30 and worse when Svitolina hit a forehand winner to bring up match point. It was saved. Another opportunity arose, and when Zhang was forced into backhand error, the match was done.
Elina Svitolina escaped from the deepest of depths to record a momentous victory 4-6 6-4 7-5 and make the round of sixteen.
No comments:
Post a Comment