Rezai beats odds to reach Bali semis

Bruce Emond ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Nusa Dua, Bali   |  Fri, 11/06/2009 2:46 PM  |  Sports

France's Aravane Rezai defied the formbooks to become the first woman into the semifinals of the US$600,000 Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions on Thursday, while Israel's Shahar Peer survived a second set scare to win her opening match of the indoor round-robin tournament.

Rezai, the 10th seed in the 12-player event, scraped back from a 1-5 deficit in the second set against Hungary's Melinda Czink for a 6-3, 7-5 win in Group D. The 44th ranked Rezai upset 4th seeded German Sabine Lisicki in three sets on Wednesday.

Peer, 7th seeded and ranked 31st in the world, held on to beat Slovakia's Magdalena Rybarikova 6-1, 7-6 (5) in the day's first match in Group A. In what promises to be the highlight of matches on Friday, Peer will play top seed Marion Bartoli for a semifinal spot. She holds a 6-1 record against the Frenchwoman, including winning their last encounter in Indian Wells earlier this year.

The semifinals, featuring the winners of the four three-women groups, will be held Saturday at the Bali International Convention Center.

"She was playing very aggressive, but I thought that I had to fight, because tennis is a strange sport," Rezai, 22, said. "Then I could see that she was getting tight."

The Hungarian was despondent after the loss. "I got tight and she started playing better . I think I'll have a long pep talk with my coach tonight."

Rybarikova, who lost to world number 12 Bartoli in straight sets on Wednesday, leaves Bali with $15,000 in prize money.

Peer coasted through the first set, with her steadiness from the baseline in contrast to the erratic play of the 46th ranked Rybarikova. It was only at 1-4 down in the second that the Slovakian, the winner in Birmingham on grass earlier this year, started playing with nothing to lose. She found her range on her groundstrokes and used a deft sliced backhand to attack on the slick wooden court.

"Tennis is a game of momentum," Peer, 22, said later. "She started playing better and coming in to the net more. I'm just really glad to get through it in two sets because it could have easily gone to three."

At 4-3, Peer had a point to hold serve, but Rybarikova brought it back to deuce and then broke. She sailed through her own service game, and suddenly a third set seemed likely.

But the Israeli, who took back-to-back titles in Guanghzhou and Tashkent in October after an injury hiatus earlier this year with stress fractures of the leg, is a tough competitor. Serving at 40-30, her backhand to the baseline was called out by umpire Mariana Alves. Peer challenged, and Hawk-Eye showed the ball was clearly in. Other players have been known to lose focus after erroneous umpire overrules, but Peer held for 5-all.

"I only had one Challenge left, but I lost a match before because I didn't challenge," Peer said. "It's a risk but I decided that I never wanted to lose another match because I didn't use it."

At the changeover with Rybarikova again leading 6-5, Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive was played in the stadium. And so it proved for Peer, who showed her mettle as her opponent's self-destructed with reckless shotmaking.

FRIDAY'S ORDER OF PLAY (Starting at 2 p.m.)

Samantha Stosur (AUS) vs Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (ESP)
Sabine Lisicki (GER) vs Melinda Czink (HUN)

Evening Session (not before 6:30 p.m.)

Marion Bartoli (FRA) vs Shahar Peer (ISR)
Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) vs Anabel Medina Garigues (ESP)

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