Garcia serves up double duty in title defense, soars into Mallorca semis
MALLORCA, Spain - Hours after finishing off her second round tussle with Jana Cepelova, Caroline Garcia was back on court for another tough match against Roberta Vinci, finishing off the Italian, 6-2, 7-6(8) and complete the semifinal line-up at the Mallorca Open.
"It was a long day for me, having to finish my match from yesterday," Garcia said after the match. "I just want to rest and be ready for tomorrow; it’s going to be a big match."
Garcia and Vinci had played just once before, two years ago on the grass at the Aegon International in Eastbourne; the Frenchwoman took that match, but admitted this surface suits her even better than in Spain than it might across the pond.
"I really like Spain and Mallorca; it’s a really nice place. The courts are great; it’s a little bit different than in England. It’s warmer, so it’s different conditions."
Making her way through the opening set, Garcia saved both break points faced to put herself a few games from the finish line.
"The first set wasn’t too tight in the score, but I was able to play the important points better. I won it, 6-2, but every game was tight."
Vinci was playing in her first quarterfinal since February at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy; playing on a quicker surface clearly suited her game this week in Mallorca as she turned the tables in the second set, earning a 5-3 lead and holding five set points to force a decider.
"I broke her early in the second but didn’t serve a good game from there. She got better on her serve, more solid, and I was making too many mistakes from the baseline and moving forward."
Garcia saved all five - four with aces - and survived a tense tiebreak to get over the finish line after 91 minutes on court as the sun began to set.
"I had to play more aggressive at the end of the second set, and at the important points, my serve came back and that helped me a lot to win."
Both women hit 21 winners, but Garcia hit one less error - 17 to 18 - and struck nine aces overall to advance in straight sets.
Standing between the French Open quarterfinalist and a second straight Mallorca Open final is No.2 seed Anastasija Sevastova in what will be a rematch of last year's final.
"It’s going to be very difficult," Garcia said. "I played her last year and she’s very solid, not giving a lot of points. She’s solid from both sides and serving well, so I’ll have to play my best tennis and serve well again."
Earlier in the day, Julia Goerges continued her career week on grass. Playing in her first-ever WTA quarterfinal on the surface, she ended the comeback of countrywoman Sabine Lisicki, 6-2, 6-4.
"I am very pleased with my win today," Goerges said ahead of her semifinal against American CiCi Bellis. "This tournament is going really well for me and I feel comfortable on the grass. I played a solid match and I hope I can play tomorrow as well as I did today."
Source: http://www.wtatennis.com/news/mallorca-open-defending-champion-garcia-two-wins-one-day-defeats-vinci-reaches-semifinals
"It was a long day for me, having to finish my match from yesterday," Garcia said after the match. "I just want to rest and be ready for tomorrow; it’s going to be a big match."
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Defending
champion Caroline Garcia won her second match of the day to close out
play on Friday at the Mallorca Open, saving five set points to outlast
Roberta Vinci in straight sets.
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"I really like Spain and Mallorca; it’s a really nice place. The courts are great; it’s a little bit different than in England. It’s warmer, so it’s different conditions."
Making her way through the opening set, Garcia saved both break points faced to put herself a few games from the finish line.
"The first set wasn’t too tight in the score, but I was able to play the important points better. I won it, 6-2, but every game was tight."
Vinci was playing in her first quarterfinal since February at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy; playing on a quicker surface clearly suited her game this week in Mallorca as she turned the tables in the second set, earning a 5-3 lead and holding five set points to force a decider.
"I broke her early in the second but didn’t serve a good game from there. She got better on her serve, more solid, and I was making too many mistakes from the baseline and moving forward."
Garcia saved all five - four with aces - and survived a tense tiebreak to get over the finish line after 91 minutes on court as the sun began to set.
"I had to play more aggressive at the end of the second set, and at the important points, my serve came back and that helped me a lot to win."
Both women hit 21 winners, but Garcia hit one less error - 17 to 18 - and struck nine aces overall to advance in straight sets.
Standing between the French Open quarterfinalist and a second straight Mallorca Open final is No.2 seed Anastasija Sevastova in what will be a rematch of last year's final.
"It’s going to be very difficult," Garcia said. "I played her last year and she’s very solid, not giving a lot of points. She’s solid from both sides and serving well, so I’ll have to play my best tennis and serve well again."
Earlier in the day, Julia Goerges continued her career week on grass. Playing in her first-ever WTA quarterfinal on the surface, she ended the comeback of countrywoman Sabine Lisicki, 6-2, 6-4.
"I am very pleased with my win today," Goerges said ahead of her semifinal against American CiCi Bellis. "This tournament is going really well for me and I feel comfortable on the grass. I played a solid match and I hope I can play tomorrow as well as I did today."
Source: http://www.wtatennis.com/news/mallorca-open-defending-champion-garcia-two-wins-one-day-defeats-vinci-reaches-semifinals
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