By Chris Oddo | Tuesday March 26, 2019
Anett Kontaveit stunned Hsieh Su-Wei to book her first semi-final at a Premier Mandatory event on Tuesday in Miami.
Photo Source: Julian Finney/Getty
Anett Kontaveit snatched victory from the jaws of defeat and booked a milestone victory on Tuesday in Miami as she rallied back from a set down and 4-0 down in the decider to knock off Hsieh Su-Wei, 3-6 6-2 7-5.
Both players had never been at this level of a Premier Mandatory event before and ultimately it was Kontaveit who found a way as Hsieh unraveled down the stretch. The 33-year-old Hsieh had recorded her second win over a reigning No.1 two rounds ago when she stunned Naomi Osaka, and she backed that up with a brilliant performance against Caroline Wozniacki on Monday.
On Tuesday she was close, but couldn’t find a way past a determined effort from the talented 23-year-old.
Hsieh served for the match at 5-4 and served to force a tiebreaker at 5-6 (and actually lead 40-0), but the steadiness and aggressiveness of Kontaveit was taking too much of a toll at that point.
“I was so close to being out of there so many times,” Kontaveit later reflected. “I just tried to keep fighting and trying to stay in there and try and still be aggressive somehow. I was trying to think more about what I have to do than about the score.”
Early on it was Kontaveit who sprayed errors in an opening set that saw her commit 18 unforced errors and drop serve in her first three service games.
Kontaveit turned the tables in the second set and thumped returns with regularity, winning 16 of 26 return points and breaking three times against a reeling Hsieh.
But she fell back quickly on serve as Hsieh upped her aggression and proactively struck early in points to build a four-game cushion.
It was the persistence of Kontaveit that eventually shone through—as she battled through a few long games to draw closer, Hsieh’s fatigue started to set in as the belief started to fade.
“I somehow managed to turn it around in the third,” Kontaveit said. “Still not entirely sure how, but…”
Kontaveit believes she can play better, but she was most thrilled with her mental toughness after her triumph of the cagey Hsieh.
“I feel like I fought really well and I never gave up,” she said. “I'm really, really happy with the improvements I'm making and being more positive with myself, whatever the score is, and all these little things that are getting better.”
Kontaveit is projected to break into the Top 15 for the first time on Monday and can get as high as No.12 in the world with a title. She’ll face either Petra Kvitova or Ash Barty in the semis.