Kontaveit through to Australian Open third round
Anett Kontaveit has won her Australian Open second round encounter against Sara Sorribes Tormo (Spain) in Melbourne in three sets, 6:2, 4:6, 6:1, setting herself up with a third round face-off with world number six Belinda Bencic (Switzerland).
Kontaveit, 24, from Tallinn, ranked 31st in the world and 28th seed in the tournament, dominated the first set, winning five games in a row before Sorribes Tormo was able to answer with two game wins, then wrapping things up in the next game 6:2.
In the second set, things were a lot more even, with the Spanish player opening up her account, winning the first two games. Things stood at 3:3 a few games later, with Sorribes Tormo always a game ahead, clinching the set 6:4 and avoiding a tie-breaker.
Anett Kontaveit fights her way past Sorribes Tormo 6-2 4-6 6-1!
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 23, 2020
The 28th seed is into the third round at #AO2020 #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/UYUt9xb77L
However, the third set returned to the same progression as the first, with the Estonian soon 4:0 in the lead after breaking Sorribes Tormo's serve twice. Sorribes Tormo returned the favor on the next game, breaking Kontaveit's serve this time, only for the Estonian to do the same in the next game, then hold her serve in the final game of the set to win 6:1 and take the match, the third time she has beaten the Spanish player and the second time at the Australian Open.
The whole meeting lasted an hour and 41 minutes.
Kontaveit meets Belinda Bencic in the third round later this week, the first time the pair have played each other. Kontaveit's career peak in the Australian Open to date is the fourth round, which she reached in 2018.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
