Zvonareva stretched, Lisicki stretchered
Originally published on: 26/05/11 09:34
Vera Zvonareva survived a scare to beat German qualifier Sabine Lisicki 4-6 7-5 7-5 and reach the third round at Roland Garros.
The 21-year-old German had Zvonareva on the ropes at 5-2 up with a match point in the final set, but the world No.3 saw off the danger with a service hold before breaking back level.
Twice Lisicki had to call for the trainer – she had her blood pressure taken courtside and treatment to rid her legs of cramp – but each time she continued to play. After the match she lay on the court in tears before being carried off on a stretcher.
“I started cramping at the end of the second set and this continued in the third,” said Lisicki in a statement released by the WTA. “From 4-2 in the third set, I began to feel dizzy and had problems seeing the ball clearly. At no point did I think of retiring and I kept fighting until the end.”
Lisicki, who reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon in 2009, was unable to compete in last year’s French Open because of a left ankle injury, but her performance at this year’s tournament matched her career-best in Paris in 2008.
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