First WTA semi-final for Amanmuradova
Oct 8th, 2005

Akgul Amanmuradova held her nerve to defeat Elena Vesnina in three sets and continue her dream run in the Tashkent Open today. Cheered on by her home supporters, wildcard Amanmuradova defeated Vesnina 7-6 (4), 3-6, 7-6 (4) to enter her first-ever WTA semi-final.

Top seed Ekaterina Bychkova and No 5 Michaella Krajicek also won through to their first career semi-finals. The two, who meet each other next, had extended matches. Bychkova defeated wildcard Evgeniya Rodina 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 while Krajicek had to win a 22-point second set tie-break to get past Kateryna Bondarenko of Ukraine 6-4, 7-6 (10).

Italy's No 7 Maria Elena Camerin completed the final four. She upset No 3 seed, compatriot Antonella Serra Zanetti 6-3, 6-2 in the day's only one-sided match and will play Amanmuradova for a place in the final.

Amanmuradova, who knocked out No 2 seed Alona Bondarenko in the first round, has shown an increasing maturity in her game in this tournament. Her big serve has always been her weapon – she closed out the match with an ace -- but now she has started showing more patience during the rallies.

A satisfied Uzbekistan No 1 later said that she was luckier than Vesnina in today's match. She was referring to a couple of netcords which went her way and also another crucial point when Vesnina's racket strings popped. “I felt it was going to be my day,” she said.

Vesnina admitted that the turning point of the match could have been when she failed to hold serve while serving for the first set at 5-3. “Amanmuradova hit two big returns and I got a bit nervous,” she said. “And once it got to the tie-break, I knew it was going to be tough. Playing Amanmuradova in the tie-breaks is really difficult because of her service.”

Top seed Bychkova had to work for over two hours to get the better of 16-year-old Rodina in a match filled with long baseline rallies. She paid tribute to her fellow-Russian, “she has good strokes, moves well and tries to return everything” but felt that she was fighting more with herself than her opponent.

“First, I had to overcome myself, than my opponent,” said Bychkova. “I was not able to control the ball, adjust to the bounce. I was only pushing the ball, never hitting it. Thank God my serve worked. That really helped me.”

Rodina's coach Andrei Youzhny, brother of Russian Davis Cupper Mikhail, was satisfied with his young charge's performance but said she had to get tougher mentally. “She's too young for this level but it's been a good learning experience,” he said.

Krajicek played her best tennis of the tournament to win her first set against Bondarenko with whom she has a sort of rivalry since their junior days (the record is 1-1). She served well, and returned strongly, especially with her backhand.

But like in her earlier matches in the tournament, both of which went to three sets, Krajicek again looked like losing the second after winning the first comfortably. Bondarenko, broken twice in the opener, hit a winning streak and opened up a 4-0 lead.

Said Krajicek: “My first set was almost perfect. But then in the second, she played better than I did and in no time I was 0-4 down. Then I said to myself I could play better than that and started refocusing.”

Krajicek then won five games in a row and to Bondarenko's credit, she didn't buckle immediately and forced the set into a tie-break.

Krajicek had two matchpoints when led 6-4. “I didn't focus on the first, on her serve,” she said. “I was looking at the next and I should have won it, an easy shot on my backhand. But I was nervous and I missed.”

She then had to survive three setpoints before winning on her fifth matchpoint with a forehand to the open court.

“I probably got a bit tired,” said a disappointed Bondarenko, said later. “Maybe a bit nervous, too. She (Krajicek) was playing good. It's difficult to play her. She hits hard, goes from line to line. She's tough.”

Camerin and Serra Zanetti played a forgettable 70-minute match, in which there were four breaks of serve in the first set and six in the second.

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