By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, May 3, 2023
Veronika Kudermetova credited a key change after scoring a 6-4, 0-6, 6-4 win over No. 3-seeded Jessica Pegula for her first Madrid Open semifinal.
Photo credit: Julian Finney/Getty
Madrid marathons are happy hours for Veronika Kudermetova.
Tested in another three-set struggle, Kudermetova showed strong closing kick—satisfying her thirst for celebratory suds.
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Splashing an ace out wide, Kudermetova closed a 6-4, 0-6, 6-4 conquest of 2022 finalist Jessica Pegula in style sealing her maiden Mutua Madrid Open semifinal spot today.
It is Kudermetova's fourth consecutive three-set triumph of the tournament coming one round after she edged No. 8 Daria Kasatkina 7-5, 1-6, 7-6.
So what's the secret to Kudermetova's staying power?
Bold shotmaking and cold brews.
The 26-year-old Kudermetova, who has spent 10 hours and 21 minutes on court in Madrid, credits her recovery to her new hobby: drinking beer.
More than liquid courage, beer has helped the slender Kudermetova come back from two-hour marathon matches and continue to battle with a sense of humor.
"In the second set I started to laugh 'Veronika you want to kill yourself,' again," Kudermetova told Tennis Channel's Prakash Amritraj afterward. "Three sets, it was a tough battle today.
"But to be honest, every day I took some beer for recovery, yes, this is the most important. I start to drink beer this week.
"This is the first time I took a beer, it works really well. I'm so happy and proud of myself that I managed this tough match."
While it's unlikely we'll see a bartender in her box, Kudermetova will continue to pour passion on the court in what could be a blockbuster semifinal.
The 12th-seeded Kudermetova will face either world No. 1 Iga Swiatek or 27th-seeded Croatian Petra Martic for a spot in the Madrid final.
The 2021 Charleston champion, Kudermetova is playing for a second career title and says she'd relish a rematch vs. Swiatek, whom she has yet to beat.
"It will be a tough match, doesn't matter who is on the other side, Iga or Martic, but I'm looking forward to the next match and I'll try to show my best," Kudermetova said. "Because I play two or three times against Iga and I always lost to her.
"I want a rematch. It's very important for me. I would like to improve my tennis and if I play against Iga it will show where I can play better, what I need to improve on the court."
This first meeting between veteran players pitted Kudermetova's crackling first serve against Pegula's punishing return game.
Snapping a streak of three streak breaks, Kudermetova stamped the first hold at 15 for 3-1. Pegula slid her second ace down the middle wrapping her first hold for 2-3.
The jarring weight of Kudermetova's first serve proved pivotal in a set that featured five service breaks in 10 games.
A biting body serve helped Kudermetova hold for 5-3.
Serving for the set, Kudermetova whipped the wide serve to seal the 50-minute opener.
Setting up her first strike with some deep first serves, Kudermetova served 68 percent and won 16 of 25 first-serve points. In contrast, Pegula served just 50 percent and won only 7 of 16 first-serve points in the opening set.
Resetting, Pegula coaxed a cluster of Kudermetova errors scoring her third break of the match to snatch a 2-0 second-set lead with a clenched fist.
Playing cleaner combinations, Pegula forced Kudermetova to try to play flatter down the line.
Streaking through 16 of the first 19 points of the second set, Pegula powered out to a 4-0 lead.
All the good work she did in the opening set dissipated in the dirt as Kudermetova slapped a flat forehand into net to face triple set point.
The No. 12 seed dumped a drop shot into net—her 15th unforced error of a horrid set—as Pegula served up the bagel to force a final set after one hour, 12 minutes. Pegula won 24 of 29 points played in that lopsided second set.
Trying to shrug off complete collapse, Kudermetova took an injury timeout after the shutout set.
That break helped Kudermetova clear her head. A long baseline exchange ended with the world No. 13 putting a ball right inside the baseline to rattle out an error for break point. Lining up her forehand, Kudermetova swept a winner down the line snapping her six-game slide with a break to open the decider.
Finding her first serve helped Kudermetova back up the break at 15 for a 2-0 lead.
Pressure prompted the rebreak as Kudermetova badly bungled a volley sitter to gift back the break in the fourth game.
Twice, Kudermetova went up a break and both times Pegula broke back.
Reading the American's serve down the T, Kudermetova pounced torching a forehand return winner for the love break and a 4-3 lead.
This time, Kudermetova made the break stand. Moving forward in the court, Kudermetova swatted a smash holding with a shout for 5-3.
The former world No. 9 closed in style.
Zapping her fourth ace out wide, Kudermetova secured her semifinal spot in two hours, five minutes.
Kudermetova will have time for rest, recovery and yes, that celebratory beer, before a semifinal showdown vs. No. 1 Swiatek or Martic.