Tennis
Papamicail bowed to Mugurutha
Despina Papamichael withstood pressure from Garbiñe Mugurutha for a set in the 2nd round match at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.
The 29-year-old Greek tennis player struggled in the opening set of the match but suffered a 6-4, 6-2 loss to the former world No. 1 and current No. 12, ending her very fine performance at the WTA 500 in Japan.
The 1st set was particularly hard fought, Papamichail reacting immediately to Mugurutha’s quick break before the Spaniard managed another break in game 5 (3-2). The 28-year-old, who was born in Venezuela, missed two set ball chances on Papamichael’s 5-3 serve and finally ended the set with her own serve after 51 minutes of competitive play.
The second part of the game was more controlled for the Spaniard as she played with more confidence, putting more pressure on Papamichael’s serve and starting with two breaks in a row, keeping the lead until the end without being particularly threatened.
Wank or one of Rybakina-Samsonova will be Mugurutha’s opponent in the quarterfinals. The Spaniard is 53rd in the WTA race for the WTA Finals title holder and defender of 1,300 points. He needs to put on a very strong finish to qualify for Texas.
Source: Tennis24
Source: sport 24
