By Adrianna Outlaw | Friday, July 24, 2015
After squandering four match points, Urszula Radwanska caught a break on the fifth when her net-cord shot dribbled over sealing a 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (5) win in Istanbul.
Photo credit: AP
Urszula Radwanska caught the ultimate net rush from the baseline.
Radwanska benefited from a favorable bounce on her fifth match point with a net-cord winner closing a dramatic 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (5) victory over No. 8 seeded Tsvetana Pironkova.
More: Sharapova, Dimitrov End Three-Year Romance
Radwanska, who upset third-seeded Jelena Jankovic. in her opener, bounced the final seed out of the tournament though it wasn't easy.
A tense win propelled the 99th-ranked Pole into the Istanbul semifinals.
It's Radwanska's first trip to a Tour-level final four since she reached successive semifinals in Tashkent and Guangzhou in September, 2012. She had to hold off a determined opponent and spiking nerves to make it.
"Oh my God, it was such a drama match," Radwanska said in her on-court interview. "You know she was fighting to the end. She's an amazing player, a great fighter and she was showing it today. I was a little bit lucky at the end."
Contesting her first WTA quarterfinal since Monterrey last March, Radwanska seemed to be in firm control when she seized a 6-1 lead in the third-set tie break.
Nerves and the flat-hitting Pironkova eroded that lead as the 42nd-ranked Bulgarian fought off four match points.
An increasingly tight Radwanska cleared the net with a second serve then slid a slice backhand into the top of the tape. The ball crawled over onto Pironkova's side of the court. Radwanska raised her arms in equal parts relief and apology, while Pironkova placed her hands on her hips in disbelief at the sudden end.
Next up for Radwanska is a semifinal against Magdalena Rybarikova, who rallied past Roberta Vinci, 0-6, 7-5, 6-2.
"I'm just trying to play my best game and fight until the end," Radwanska said of her approach to the semifinal.
In an all-Ukraine quarterfinal, No. 71 Lesia Tsurenko edged qualifier Kateryna Bondarenko, 7-6 (13), 7-5. Tsurenko will play either Kirsten Flipkens or 2010 Roland Garros champion Francesca Schiavone for a spot in Sunday's final.