Adelaide International 2: Caroline Garcia Through to Quarter-final With Win Over Katerina Siniakova
Frenchwoman Garcia got the better of Siniakova 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 in 2 hours and 15 minutes on Wednesday to advance to the last eight of the tournament in Australia
France’s Caroline Garcia advanced to the Adelaide International 2 quarterfinal with a hard-fought 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 win over qualifier Katerina Siniakova in 2 hours and 15 minutes on Wednesday.
The victory was Garcia’s sixth in a row, a streak also encompassing her WTA Finals Fort Worth title at the end of 2022 and an unbeaten United Cup campaign last week. She will aim for a seventh against No.8 seed Belinda Bencic in the last eight.
related stories
ALSO READ| Australian Open 2023: Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek Top Seeds in Melbourne
Siniakova is a player who had given Garcia much trouble in the past. The Czech came into the match leading the head-to-head 4-2, including the last three in a row; Garcia had not beaten her since the second round of the 2016 US Open.
However, the Frenchwoman roared out of the blocks in a bid to rectify that, leaping to a 5-0 lead without facing a game point. But Siniakova saved the first three set points she faced, all on Garcia’s serve at 5-1, and though this was too late to save the set, the rhythm she gained stood her in good stead for the second.
Garcia’s serve was a major weapon throughout, firing 14 aces in total. A trio of them helped her escape from the first break point of the second set in the sixth game. But she was unable to convert a pair on Siniakova’s serve in the next game; serving at 3-4, Garcia’s forehand leaked a series of errors to hand the World No.48 her first break of the match.
The 29-year-old Garcia appeared to have regained control in the third set after slamming consecutive return winners to break Siniakova after a five-deuce tussle and build a 3-0 lead. But fine down-the-line work enabled Siniakova to level at 3-3, and a sequence of rapid holds followed.
It was Garcia who raised her level when she needed to. Another return winner brought up her first match points at 6-5, and she converted the third with a backhand crosscourt — her 42nd winner of the night compared to Siniakova’s tally of 21.
Read all the Latest Sports News here
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - IANS)- Location :
- First Published: