Veronika Kudermetova d. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-6(6) 6-7(2) 6-3 in Tokyo After more than 3 hours & 20 minutes of big hitting, Veronika is into her 2nd final of 2023. Quite a battle from both women.
Kudermetova emerges victorious after intense battle with Pavlyuchenkova and earns final spot at Pan Pacific Open
WTASaturday, 30 September 2023 at 08:35
Veronika Kudermetova defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-6(6), 6-7(2), 6-3 to advance to the final of the WTA 500 Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, Japan.
Kudermetova, ranked 19th, came into the match with confidence after defeating the first seed Iga Swiatek (2nd) in the quarterfinals in a three-set battle. Swiatek had previously held a 4-0 head-to-head advantage over Kudermetova, losing only 10 games in their eight previous sets played, but this time it was the Russian who prevailed.
Since the return of hardcourt tournaments (following Wimbledon), Kudermetova had experienced inconsistent form, with just two wins in seven matches. She was seeking the opportunity to play in the seventh final of her career.
Ranked 86th in the world, Pavlyuchenkova had defeated Donna Vekic (20th), Linda Noskova (44th), and Ekaterina Aleksandrova (21st) on her way to the semifinals, marking her first appearance in the semifinals of a tournament since losing in the 2021 French Open final to Barbora Krejcikova.
Both players held their serves without major issues in the early part of the first set, with Pavlyuchenkova breaking in the sixth game to take a 4-2 lead. However, Kudermetova quickly responded with a break of her own and leveled the score at 4-4.
Pavlyuchenkova had five set points with Kudermetova serving at 5-4, but Kudermetova managed to extend the set and eventually won it in a tie-break, 7-6(6), after 78 minutes.
The second set saw both players holding their serves, but Pavlyuchenkova took a 3-1 lead with a break. Despite Pavlyuchenkova appearing to have control on her serve, Kudermetova broke back, winning three consecutive games to go up 5-4.
After that, both players held their serves and reached the second tie-break. In the decisive tie-break, Pavlyuchenkova was more effective with her forehand and won it 7-2.
The third set was a nerve-wracking battle in which Pavlyuchenkova held a 3-2 lead. However, Kudermetova won the next four games in a row, including two breaks, and ultimately took the match 7-6(6), 6-7(2), 6-3
Despite the loss, Pavlyuchenkova leaves the tournament with a positive outlook on her improved WTA ranking and will be ranked 62nd in the world starting next week. The Russian had been outside the top 700 just six months ago and has shown that at 32 years old, she can still compete at a high level.
In the final, Kudermetova will face the winner of the match between the second seed Jessica Pegula (4th) and the fourth seed Maria Sakkari (6th). Kudermetova has one career title, which she won at the 2021 Charleston Open, and has reached four consecutive finals since then.
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