WTA Stuttgart: Naomi Osaka performs a huge turnaround against Donna Vekic
World no. 3 Petra Kvitova is through to the fourth semi-final of the season, advancing into the last four in Stuttgart for the third time after a 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 triumph over Anastasija Sevastova. The 7th seed played impressive tennis to leave the Czech behind in the opener but Petra bounced back in sets two and three, getting broken only once and mounting the pressure on the rival who couldn't endure it. The match lasted an hour and 32 minutes it was Sevastova who had the upper hand in the opening 30 minutes, dropping five points on serve and scoring breaks in games one and three with deep and precise groundstrokes that left Petra with no answer.
Kvitova had to change things on the court quickly and she did that perfectly in set number two, hitting the zone and dominating on both serve and return for a 6-2 after rattling off the last four games from 2-2. With the momentum on her side, Petra raced into a 4-1 lead in set number three before Anastasija made one final push to pull the break back in game seven and reduce the deficit. Still, her efforts were in vain as Kvitova broke again in game eight to seal the deal with a hold at 15 a few minutes later for the place in the last four.
In the second quarter-final, world no. 1 Naomi Osaka had to dig deep to oust Donna Vekic 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 in two hours and 18 minutes, overcoming a 5-1 deficit in the decider to prevail in the tie break and stay on the title course. We saw three breaks on serve on both sides and the Croat had everything in her hands after the second set, taking it with a late break in game ten and racing towards the finish line with a double break advantage in the final set. Looking down and beaten, Naomi embraced the challenge and started to hit much better, breaking back in games seven and nine while Donna served for the triumph, gathering the momentum and taking tie break 7-4 to cross the finish line first and move into the semis where she will face Victoria Azarenka or Anett Kontaveit.
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2DLKQt9
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