Tatiana Prozorova claimed the first Philippine Women’s Open semifinals berth. Now she awaits the winner in the other quarterfinal showdown between Donna Vekic and Lin Zhu.
Unfazed by the scorching heat in Manila, Tatiana Prozorova bucked a slow start en route to a win over Sofia Costoulas, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the Philippine Women’s Open Thursday, Jan. 29.
The 20-year-old Russian, ranked 174th in the world, thus clinched the first semifinals berth in the first-ever WTA 125 in the country.
She will face the winner in the other quarterfinal pairing between Donna Vekic and Lin Zhu.
Costoulas raced off to a splendid start in the opening set where she was pretty much in control the entire way but fizzled out in the second set and late in the third set.
The Belgian tennister saved a match point once but then muffed a forehand return as Prozorova threw both her arms in the air in celebration of a hard-earned dub.
The Vekic-Zhu showdown follows the exhilarating match at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.
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Like most sportswriters, Jan Ballesteros once dreamed of becoming a professional hooper. But he learned the hard way that it’s not for everyone.
He continues to be involved in the sport he loves, but this time as a member of the PBA Press Corps. Aside from primarily covering the PBA, he is also assigned to cover Gilas Pilipinas.