Thursday 23 January 2014

Radwanska into quarters again

5th seed Agnieszka Radwanska faced surprise packet Spanish player Garbine Muguruza in the final fourth round women's singles match to finish off the night session on night 8 on Rod Laver Arena.  Already with 10th seed Wozniacki as a victim, Muguruza must have had the confidence to wreck another fancied players chances at this years Aus Open, but Aga also had designs on the silverware and had plenty of tricks to use as we had seen over the past few years.

Aga was taken to deuce three times in her opening serve but had the poise to hold, unforced errors not helping Garbine in the end.  Games were one all before a marathon third game on the Radwanska serve which included seven deuces and three break points, all competently saved by Radwanska forcing the Spanish error from the forehand side.
The fourth game was also an excuse for deuce, with Aga failing to convert three break chances on the Muguruza serve in a match that had gone in excess of half an hour without the completion of four games.  At this rate we would be lucky to have the first set done in time for the men's final.
Radwanska created a fourth break point with a backhand winner and duly converted with a brilliant backhand volley winner to lead 3-1
A quick consolidation by the 5th seed and Garbine had to serve again.  This was shorter and for the wrong reasons if you ask the Spanish player.  A double fault followed up with a chaser of two unforced errors left a bitter taste of three break points in the mouth, and Agnieszka made it worse by forcing Muguruza into error and immediately converting one of those points to lead 5-1 and serve for the set.
That task fulfilled without drama it was Aga a set to the good 6-1.

The first four games of set two were over quickly, a sharp departure from the first set dramas.  Muguruza recovered somewhat to hold serve and share the output 2-2.  The fifth game, with Garbine serving, was to determine the fate of the match.
A double fault and three unforced errors off her backhand were parcelled up and gift wrapped for Radwanska as another service break and the match now had a visible finish line.
Agnieszka held to love, and Garbine held her next serve and so it was 4-3.
At 40-15 on the Radwanska serve, signs of nerves showed for the first time with the next three points going the way of Muguruza, the first with an uncharacteristic unforced error, the third a double fault.  The double fault gave Muguruza a break back point, but this and one more were saved by Radwanska and she was relieved to escape the game with a 5-3 advantage.
Serving for the match Agnieszka couldn't do it with the first two match points, the second saved by a backhand winner from Garbine, but the third was converted and the fifth seed had booked a quarter final engagement with Azarenka. 6-1 6-3

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