Agnieszka Radwanska got her game together at the right time on Court One at the Sydney International. A fight from teenage American tennis star Catherine Bellis pushed the 28 year old to turn her game around and win in straight sets 7-6(4), 6-0 at Sydney Olympic Park Wednesday.
The 18-year-old got the best of Radwanska nearly a year ago in Dubai in s first meeting that went three sets. While it ended in a lopsided score, Bellis had a big victory against a veteran player. Now in the new season, the American had the chance to make it two in a row after finishing her match quickly at the end while the Polish star had a very difficult match in having to face Johanna Konta. Radwanska didn’t take her down easily as she usually performs against others but that was not the case and wouldn’t be again if she couldn’t control the American teen on court.
Things went smoothly for both players as holds of serve were recorded in the first four games. The change came when Bellis battled to break Radwanska in the fifth. After some time, she held off the American and attacked straight away in the sixth. Bellis then went on the defensive saving the game to deuce where it got very tight. They took it to six breaks and fourth break point for the Polish veteran to take the lead 4-2. Bellis surprised fans in the stands as she broke her opponent in the seventh with a quick strong break.
She held to level even in the eighth where it soon began as a race to who would take the first set. Radwanska made the first move but despite holding, she couldn’t lock a break to stop Bellis. The teen got things to move deeper into the set where it would take a tiebreak to determine a winner. Radwanska opened things with a mini break but Bellis caught up with her after the sixth point. Just when it looked as if things would go on a marathon, the 28-year-old got up 4-3 and allowed the American just one more point before putting the set to rest with a sizable lead that brought the set to a finish at 66 minutes.
With all the battling that Radwanska has done in her last few matches, she knew that bringing her A game was more than necessary going into the second set. She did just that after completing the second longest game of the match that went four breaks. After breaking the American, she took off with a hold followed by a double break. It was soon a 4-0 rout of the young American who struggled to respond in those defeats. She was doused in the fifth after trying to make her way to leading the game but instead fell to the powerful Polish star.
The edge of defeat and victory were at hand with Radwanska serving for the match. Bellis found on every point to force deuce to save match point. Despite the fight that she put in, she couldn’t stop Radwanska on her second attempt which ended a 10-shot rally into the net as the final error by the American teen. When the 1 hour and 37-minute match ended, Bellis had 40 unforced errors total while Radwanska kept that under half the number.
The world number 28 definitely had struggles and she served 54 percent with three double faults in her win on the day. She knew that more positive results had to come before facing the winner between Italy’s Camelia Giorgi and Czech star Petra Kvitova.
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