Tennis World USA
Sept 26 2018
WTA Tashkent:Margarita Gasparyan reached the first quarterfinals since 2015
SEPTEMBER 26, 2018 13:23
by ALESSANDRO MASTROLUCA
Margarita Gasparyan completed an unbelievable comeback from 0-4 down in the decider to beat 6-2 3-6 7-6(2) Tatjana Maria and reach the first WTA quarter-finals since 2015 Moscow in Tashkent. Gasparyan drilled a perfect lob to seal her 18th overall win of the season.
“I have Not played for a year now due to injury, but I'm feeling good now" she said to the Tashkent open Media team, the tournament website reported. "I played aggressively in the first set. In the second set I made mistakes, in the third I just got lost”.
At 0-4 he called for her coach who suggested her not to lose confidence and composure. Gasparyan began to go freely for her shots and when Maria missed a volley on break point at 5-5, she completed the turnaround. "I'm happy to survive and looking at making a solid comeback and making it to the circuit on my own , I still have two three events with protected ranking and trying to make most of it", she said.
Gasparyan, who benefits from protected ranking, will meet for the firt time Fanny Stollar, who won 20 of her last 30 matches against opponents ranked outside the Top 200. The Hungarian beat Vera Zvonareva 7-6(2) 6-4 to complete her eighth WTA victory of the season and move to the second tour-level quarter-final of the season after she lost to Katerina Siniakova in Nurnberg.
Anastasia Potapova took her revenge after the Moscow River Cup final and beat Olga Danilovic 6-3 6-3. The match maintained the same level of mistakes, inconsistencies, determination and outbursts but this time Potapova showed more control over her shots and handled more assertively the key points in the closing stages of both sets.
The former junior No.1 is projected to rise at least to No.112 as she reached her second WTA career quarter-finals, although she's focused more on improving her game rather than on points, she said reporters "My family and team help me a lot,” she added, “they and my coach Irina (Doronina, who travels with her in her first visit to Tashkent) keep me focused on the game and they keep pushing me.
I have also to study, I carry my books on the tour and try and make use of my time to keep up with the studies, sometimes I have my teachers helping me on Skype to help me understand and complete assignments”. Potapova will face for the first time Dalila Jakupovic, who claimed her fourth tour-level quarterfinal in 2018.
The Slovene saved four set points in the second set and improved to 9-6 in tiebreaks this season with her 6-1 7-6 win over Arantxa Rus. The No.2 seed Vera Lapko reached the second straight WTA quarterfinal, the third of the season, as she comfortably beat Ivana Jorovic 6-2 6-4.
The Belarusian, who won 71% of second serve return points and completed seven breaks from eight looks, kept composed serving for the match and sealed the win with an ace down the T. She will meet Mona Barthel who needed to dig deep to celebrate the 14th win in 21 3-set matches played overall this season.
The German beat 7-5 4-6 6-4 Evgeniya Rodina to move to the last 8 for the third time in 2018. Fiona Ferro could have made her Top 100 debut next week but she surrendered 7-5 6-4 to Kateryna Kozlova, who had beaten the No.1 seed Irina Camelia Begu.
The Ukrainian will face Nao Hibino or Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.
