CHENNAI: Linda Fruhvirtova played out of her skin to get the better of Nadia Podoroska 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 in two hours and 53 minutes to make the WTA Chennai Open final at the SDAT stadium here on Saturday. In an encounter that stretched both players to their limits, it was the 17-year-old from Czech Republic who held her nerve to book a place in the summit clash on Sunday. This is Linda’s maiden WTA final. In the other semifinal, Katie Swan will take on third seed Magda Linette late on Saturday.
The slug-fest began when Linda, ranked 130th in the world, won the first game despite two back-to-back double faults in the opening set. Linda had a break point in the second but couldn’t go on to convert it. The teenager held serve in the third game for a 2-1 lead. After holding serve in the fourth game, Nadia broke her opponent in the fifth for a 3-2 lead. Nadia saved two break points from Linda to hold serve in the 6th game and go 4-2 up. She subsequently broke Linda in the 7th for a 5-2 lead. At that moment, Linda took her first medical timeout which lasted 8 minutes. That break seemed to have upset Nadia’s rhythm. Once the match restarted, Nadia was broken in the 8th game. Subsequently, Nadia had two set points on Linda’s serve in the 9th but failed to close it. Linda then broke Nadia to level the proceedings at 5-5. Nadia quickly regrouped to break Linda in the 11th game for a 6-5 lead and then wrapped up the first set 7-5 on her fourth set point in an hour and 17 minutes.
The next 39 minutes saw Linda stage a comeback by clinching the second set 6-2 as the encounter headed to the decider. In the final set, both players kept the tempo up before Nadia who got the break in the 5th game to lead 3-2. Linda once again took a 7-minute medical timeout. When play commenced, Nadia managed to stay ahead at 4-2. However, Linda held her serve in the 7th game before breaking Nadia in the next to level the set 4-4. Linda then held serve and went on to break her opponent and cross the finish line on her fourth match point. “It was definitely one of the toughest matches I have played. She was simply spectacular and I just wanted to hang in there to take the match deep,” Linda said after the match.
On her mindset when she was 2-4 down in the third set, Linda said, “I had some negative thoughts myself but wanted to give it my best shot. She is a very good player and I wanted to make sure to stay in the game.”
In the first match of the day, top-seeded Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani made the doubles final with a clinical 6-3, 6-3 win over Peangtam Plipuech and Moyuka Uchijima in just 61 minutes.
The slug-fest began when Linda, ranked 130th in the world, won the first game despite two back-to-back double faults in the opening set. Linda had a break point in the second but couldn’t go on to convert it. The teenager held serve in the third game for a 2-1 lead. After holding serve in the fourth game, Nadia broke her opponent in the fifth for a 3-2 lead. Nadia saved two break points from Linda to hold serve in the 6th game and go 4-2 up. She subsequently broke Linda in the 7th for a 5-2 lead. At that moment, Linda took her first medical timeout which lasted 8 minutes. That break seemed to have upset Nadia’s rhythm. Once the match restarted, Nadia was broken in the 8th game. Subsequently, Nadia had two set points on Linda’s serve in the 9th but failed to close it. Linda then broke Nadia to level the proceedings at 5-5. Nadia quickly regrouped to break Linda in the 11th game for a 6-5 lead and then wrapped up the first set 7-5 on her fourth set point in an hour and 17 minutes.
The next 39 minutes saw Linda stage a comeback by clinching the second set 6-2 as the encounter headed to the decider. In the final set, both players kept the tempo up before Nadia who got the break in the 5th game to lead 3-2. Linda once again took a 7-minute medical timeout. When play commenced, Nadia managed to stay ahead at 4-2. However, Linda held her serve in the 7th game before breaking Nadia in the next to level the set 4-4. Linda then held serve and went on to break her opponent and cross the finish line on her fourth match point. “It was definitely one of the toughest matches I have played. She was simply spectacular and I just wanted to hang in there to take the match deep,” Linda said after the match.
On her mindset when she was 2-4 down in the third set, Linda said, “I had some negative thoughts myself but wanted to give it my best shot. She is a very good player and I wanted to make sure to stay in the game.”
In the first match of the day, top-seeded Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani made the doubles final with a clinical 6-3, 6-3 win over Peangtam Plipuech and Moyuka Uchijima in just 61 minutes.
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