BEIJING, Sept. 24 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Agnes Szavay of Hungary survived a match point to stage a stunning comeback against Serbia's Jelena Jankovic to win the China Open 6-7 7-5 6-2 in Beijing Sunday.
(Photo: http://www.prnasia.com/sa/200709241300.jpg )
At one set down and 5-1 down in the second set, 18-year-old Szavay was perilously close to defeat. But she then upped her performance and won the next nine games on the trot, winning the second set 7-5 and taking her to a commanding 3-0 lead in the final set. She finally won the latter after almost three hours on court.
The turning point came in epic style: facing match point and having faulted on her first serve, Szavay confidently produced her first ace of the match on her second serve.
The astonishing turnaround followed a first set that was so close barely a slip of rice-paper could have separated the two players. World number three and second seed Jankovic broke Szavay's serve to go 3-1 up, only for the Hungarian to break back again in the next game -- a thrilling game with eight deuces, during which Jankovic saved four break points before finally having her serve broken.
The first set then played out to a hugely exciting tie-break. Szavay, seeded six, stormed to a 5-0 lead, before making a string of unforced errors that allowed Jankovic to haul herself back into the contest and win the tie-break 9-7.
Szavay's game was more powerful than that of 22-year-old Jankovic, whose strength lies in the consistency and accuracy of her ground strokes. Time and again, Szavay's blistering backhand winners drew gasps from the crowd. But she also hit many into the net. During the first set in particular, she frequently overshot her forehands, giving away soft points.
Having saved a match point in such style, Szavay continued her powerful game that included serves of around 190 km an hour, but managed to reduce the number of unforced errors. This was the key factor behind her recovery in this match.
Jankovic, who was chasing her fifth title of the season, appeared to tire going into the final set, in part due to fitness concerns that required a three-minute time-out for a neck problem towards the end of the second set. After failing to convert that match point in the second set, she only won two more games.
It was the bravura performance by Szavay that delighted the various pockets of vocal supporters around the stadium. Indeed both women had plenty of support, with the many neutrals in the crowd joining in to add to the atmosphere on a clear and warm evening in Beijing.
Szavay, ranked lower than 200 a year ago, has risen rapidly this year. She stood at number 23 in the world just prior to the China Open. This is her second WTA title of the season and will likely see her enter the world's top 20.
