Dellacqua records career-best result
Casey Dellacqua's stunning run at the Texas Tennis Open has continued, with the Australian reaching her first ever WTA-level semifinal.
Dallas, USA, 23 August 2012 | tennis.com.au
Casey Dellacqua has recorded a career-best result at the Texas Tennis Open in Dallas, reaching her first ever WTA-level semifinal after a win over Aleksandra Wozniak.
Dellacqua dismissed the Canadian 6-4 6-4 on Wednesday afternoon to progress to the final four, where she will meet No.2 seed Jelena Jankovic.
Having come through qualifying, the Aussie has now won five straight matches to make it to this stage of the tournament.
The world No.106 began brightly, scoring a break in the opening game. In a set riddled with service breaks, Dellacqua clung to that early advantage to take a one-set lead in just over half and hour.
It was more of the same in the second set, with Dellacqua superior on the return yet serving more efficiently to wrap up an impressive win in one hour and seven minutes.
Having upset yet another higher-ranked player – Wozniak is world No.50 – Dellacqua now turns her attention to a much more credentialled foe.
Former world No.1 Jankovic has beaten the Western Australian in straight set in their only two previous meetings, at Bali in 2007 and the Australian Open in 2008. They were scheduled to meet in the third round at Birmingham this season before Dellacqua withdraw because of an illness.
Yet until this week, Jankovic has endured a dreadful run of form on tour, losing her opening match at 10 of her past 13 tournaments and slipping from world No.14 at the beginning of the year to her current mark of No.34.
Dellacqua will be confident, and says she will remain faithful to her daily lunch of choice that has coincided with her great run of form this week.
“Yay, I’ve finally worked out the secret to winning tennis matches. Turkey paninis for lunch,” she joked on Twitter.
Another panini could mean another special win for Dellacqua in Dallas.