Ekaterina Makarova beat Roberta Vinci 6-4 4-6 6-3 in two hours and 18 minutes in the second round at the WTA International in Eastbourne.
Makarova got a double break to open up a 3-0 lead. Vinci recovered both breaks to draw level to 3-3. At 4-3 Vinci won the eighth game as Makarova made a double fault. Makarova broke serve in the ninth game as Vinci hit his forehand into the net. Vinci broke serve in the 10th game to love as Makarova made another unforced error to close out the first set 6-4 in 61 minutes.
Makarova started the second set with a double break in the first and third games to open up a 4-0 lead. Vinci failed to convert three consecutive break points in the eighth game before saving a match point in the next game. Vinci earned a break point in the 10th game but Makarova saved it with her backhand before closing out the 45-minute second set 6-4 as Vinci hit her forehand into the net.
Makarova raced out to a 4-0 lead for the third consecutive set with a double break in the first and third games. Vinci got one of the two breaks back in the sixth game to claw her way back to 3-4 but Makarova held her service game in the 8th game before breaking to love in the next game to close out the 42-minute third set 6-3
Former Eastbourne champion Agnieszka Radwanska was leading 6-4 2-1 as Mirjana Lucic Baroni was forced to retire from the match with gastrointestinal illness. Radwanska will take on 2014 Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard for a spot in the quarter final. The young Canadian player swept aside Irina Camelia Begu 6-3 6-1.
Radwanska won the Eastbourne title in 2008 and lost in the final to Belinda Bencic in last year’s final.
Twice Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova beat Timea Babos 6-4 7-6 (7-5) to set up a third round match against either Lesla Tsurenko or Johanna Konta. At 4-4 Babos faced two break points after two loose groundstrokes. Kvitova got the break in the ninth game for 5-4 but was forced to save a couple of break points as she was serving for the set. The second set started with a trade of breaks in the first two games. Both players went on serve until the tie-break. Kvitova hit a backhand down into the corner to close out the tie-break 7-5.
“It wasn’t easy today. She was serving really well and it was very difficult to break her. I had to wait for my chances”, said Kvitova.
Andrea Petkovic beat Sara Errani 6-1 3-6 6-4 in 2 hours and 15 minutes. Petkovic got a double break in the second and fourth games to win the first set 6-1. Errani broke serve in the second game of the second set but Petkovic broke straight back in the third game. In a trade of three consecutive games Errani broke in the fourth game. The Italian held her service game before breaking again to 15 in the sixth game. Petkovic got one of the breaks back at deuce in the seventh game for 2-5 and held her service game in the next game but Errani served out for the second set to 30 to force the match to the decider.
Errani In the third set Errani raced out to a 3-0 40-15 lead with a double break but the German got both breaks back to draw level to 3-3. Errani broke serve again to take a 4-3 lead but Petkovic won three consecutive games with two breaks in the eighth and tenth games to seal the the third set 6-4
Kristina Mladenovic beat Timea Bacsinszky 6-1 7-5. Kateryna Bondarenko fought back from a set down to upset Svetlana Kuznetsova 2-6 6-4 7-5.
