Miami [US]: World number 14 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova continued her fabulous form at the Miami Open, entering the semifinal with a superb 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 upset of No.5 seed Jessica Pegula at the WTA 1000 event.
Alexandrova will face American Danielle Collins in Friday's semifinal clash.
"It was extremely difficult for me because [Pegula] played amazing. In the third set, there were sometimes the kind of rallies where I couldn't understand how it was possible to return that ball, but it always [came] back," Alexandrova said afterwards as quoted by WTA.
"I just tried to play every single point [like] I knew she was going to be everywhere, so I need to do something, and I was trying to wait and use any opportunities that I got," she added.
In the first set, Pegula was nearly faultless with her first delivery, winning 13 of 14 first-serve points (92 percent). Alexandrova's power game, on the other hand, sprang into high gear in the second set, when she won 15 to Pegula's 4.
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Alexandrova double-faulted an early breakaway in the deciding third set, leaving the score at 3-3. The Russian, on the other hand, capitalised on another opportunity two games later, breaking Pegula 5-4 with powerful returns and forecourt finishes. Alexandrova then converted her second match point to complete the comeback triumph. Alexandrova's victory over a Top 10 player after losing the first set is the first of her career.
Alexandrova defeated top five women in back-to-back matches for the first time in her career, after shocking World No.1 Iga Swiatek in the previous round.
Alexandrova attributed her recent success against Top 5 players to "trying to be more consistent on the baseline, not rushing things, and just playing the points."
"Try to use the possibilities, and not be like, 'OK, like, it's so easy, I'm just going to hit a winner right now, right from the first one.' You need to wait and wait and wait, and then something's going to come and you need to use it. So I think it's helping me right now," Alexandrova said.
—ANI