Adamczak falls in Perth semis
The top two seeds will battle it out in the final of the 2014 Perth Tennis International on Sunday after winning their respective semifinals on Saturday.
Perth WA, Australia, 26 October 2014 | David Packman
The top two seeds will battle it out in the final of the 2014 Perth Tennis International on Sunday after winning their respective semifinals today.
First on court it was the second seeded Swede, Rebecca Peterson, up against the experienced Australian campaigner, Monique Adamczak.
The Swede shot out of the blocks, taking the first set 6-1, and looked on track for an easy day at the office before Adamczak dug in with a few gritty service games and even a sneaky chance at a break late in the second. Peterson hung tough however, and closed out the match convincingly, 6-1 6-4.
It was then up to Japanese top seed Hiroko Kuwata to follow suit, and she eventually booked herself a place in the final alongside Peterson after squeaking past fourth seed Chieh-Yu Hsu from Chinese Taipei 5-7 6-3-6-4.
Having already played twice this year and splitting the honours one apiece, Kuwata and Hsu know each other’s games well. As such, this one always looked likely to be a closely fought affair.
In the end though, it was Kuwata who, despite losing the first set, was able to dictate terms when it mattered, forcing a decisive break late in the final set and holding on for the win.
Kuwata said that her previous experience against Hsu this year stood her in good stead and meant she knew exactly what to expect on court.
Pleased with how she played, the Japanese girl said she was taking some confidence into the final, despite never having played Peterson.
While the top seed has had a reasonably solid week in Perth, she has been made to work hard in coming back from a set down today, as she was required to do in the second round against Daria Garilova, an exciting youngster who will be playing under the Australian flag at the upcoming Australian Open.
Conversely, Peterson has not dropped a set all week.
In doubles action, Aussie pairing Jessica Moore and Abbie Myers were pipped at the post in the final by Veronika Capshay (UKR) and Alize Lim (FRA), 6-2 2-6 [10-7].
The 2014 Perth Tennis International women’s final will take place on Sunday at the Burswood State Tennis Centre.