vesnina vanquishes venus to set semifinal with mladenovic
Last Updated : GMT 05:17:37
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice
Last Updated : GMT 05:17:37
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice

To reach the semi-finals at Indian Wells

Vesnina vanquishes Venus to set semi-final with Mladenovic

Emiratesvoice, emirates voice

Emiratesvoice, emirates voice Vesnina vanquishes Venus to set semi-final with Mladenovic

Elena Vesnina of Russia
Indian Wells - Arab Today

Elena Vesnina denied Venus Williams another great escape, beating the seven-time Grand Slam champion 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 to reach the semi-finals at Indian Wells.

As Williams shook off a lethargic start and began to apply some pressure, Vesnina kept her poise, finishing off the contest on her fourth match point after fending off six break points in the final game.

She'll play Kristina Mladenovic for a place in the final after the French player's 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 victory over former world number one Caroline Wozniacki.

"When I was up three-love in the first set she was missing some easy shots," Vesnina said of Williams. "She looked tired and slow on the court. Then, all of a sudden, she started moving around, hitting great shots, winners from all over the place.

"I kind of lost my rhythm, because I didn't know what to expect."

After the match Williams acknowledged some physical "issues" that had troubled her throughout the tournament, although she declined to elaborate.

"I had some issues," said the American, who played Thursday with one thigh bandaged, but without the right arm bandage she sported in previous rounds.

"It's great to know that I can try to play through what I'm going through and be very competitive," she said. "I will try my best to be closer to 100 percent in the next tournament."

Whatever her troubles, when Williams leveled the match at a set apiece, Vesnina couldn't help recalling that the American had saved three match points in her second-round victory over Jelena Jankovic.

"I was like, 'Uh-Oh, it's coming back again. I'm going to be another victim of Venus," Vesnina said.

Williams, who ended a 15-year boycott of the event last year but lost her opening match, was in pursuit of a first Indian Wells title.

The 36-year-old star did indeed save three match points against her own serve in the eighth game of the third set -- a game that went to deuce six times before Williams held with a blistering forehand winner.

She appeared poised to pull back a service break when she raced to a 0-40 lead on Vesnina's serve in the next game, but Vesnina dug in. A lucky net cord bounce and two backhand errors from Williams got it to deuce, but she would have three more break chances before an ecstatic Vesnina sealed it with a forehand winner.

"I was actually very proud of myself, how I held my nerve," Vesnina said. "I was 0-40 down, but I didn't even think about that it's 0-40. It was point by point, trying to create a good rally, trying to move her around.

"I stuck to this game -- I was really fighting like it's the last game of my life."

Vesnina, a Wimbledon semi-finalist last year, reached the semi-finals of an elite Premier Mandatory level tournament for the first time, as did the in-form Mladenovic -- whose season so far has included a first career title in St. Petersburg and a runner-up finish in Acapulco this month.

- Mladenovic mixes it up -

It took Mladenovic some time to find her way into the match against 2011 Indian Wells champion Wozniacki.

She was unable to convert nine break points in the opening set as Wozniacki powered to a 5-1 lead, finally breaking the Dane for 5-2.

Although Wozniacki duly pocketed the first set, Mladenovic had found her range and it was a see-saw battle featuring six breaks of serve as they played to the second-set tiebreaker.

"I went for my game," Mladenovic said. "I went for some variation. I think I played differently at some points, trying to use more the court to make her run, as well, because she was doing that pretty well to me.

"Something new I put today was the serve and volley on such important points. I impressed myself with that!"

Source: AFP

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

vesnina vanquishes venus to set semifinal with mladenovic vesnina vanquishes venus to set semifinal with mladenovic

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

vesnina vanquishes venus to set semifinal with mladenovic vesnina vanquishes venus to set semifinal with mladenovic

 



GMT 09:54 2018 Wednesday ,24 January

'Friendly and kind' N. Korean skaters

GMT 05:17 2024 Wednesday ,07 February

Amazon to open first cashierless shop

GMT 05:04 2024 Tuesday ,06 February

Skincare PR Performance Full Year 2017

GMT 19:57 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Farm-fresh from Kerala to the UAE, in just one day

GMT 10:08 2018 Wednesday ,24 January

Microsoft to open 4 data centres

GMT 10:55 2017 Thursday ,31 August

Labour reforms 'ambitious, balanced, fair'

GMT 08:13 2017 Sunday ,22 January

ADCB win Euromoney prize

GMT 10:54 2013 Saturday ,05 October

Cyrus infamous twerking performance at the MTV

GMT 03:02 2017 Thursday ,16 February

Unruly passenger forces PIA plane to land

GMT 14:38 2014 Tuesday ,25 March

17 killed in 2 attacks in Afghanistan

GMT 09:09 2016 Monday ,22 August

'Marvellous' Rio flames out

GMT 15:16 2016 Sunday ,25 December

Bird Flu in S. Korea Culls over 22 Million Poultry

GMT 13:35 2012 Thursday ,31 May

9 ways to sexually arouse your man

GMT 17:32 2017 Friday ,06 January

Leadership's initiatives are rooted in

GMT 18:35 2016 Thursday ,08 September

Tunisia calls for ban on Hizb ut-Tahrir

GMT 07:20 2012 Monday ,05 November

1 NATO soldier dies in Afghanistan

GMT 02:41 2016 Tuesday ,22 November

MP questions environment minister over water hyacinth

GMT 18:31 2016 Monday ,10 October

Hurricane Kills 15 People in the US

GMT 01:24 2016 Tuesday ,13 December

Assad forces control 90% of Aleppo

GMT 14:27 2017 Saturday ,11 February

Zambia's access to information bill ready

GMT 17:50 2012 Thursday ,09 August

Afghan soldier killed in attack on NATO troops

GMT 07:23 2015 Wednesday ,25 February

Firing squads, blast walls in Somalia

GMT 19:00 2015 Saturday ,21 February

Explosions at hotel in Somali capital, heavy gunfire
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice
 
 Emirates Voice Facebook,emirates voice facebook  Emirates Voice Twitter,emirates voice twitter Emirates Voice Rss,emirates voice rss  Emirates Voice Youtube,emirates voice youtube  Emirates Voice Youtube,emirates voice youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

emiratesvoieen emiratesvoiceen emiratesvoiceen emiratesvoiceen
emiratesvoice emiratesvoice emiratesvoice
emiratesvoice
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
emiratesvoice, Emiratesvoice, Emiratesvoice