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Beatriz Haddad Maia has earned the title of Iron Lady at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open. The Brazilian No. 6 seed won her third three-set match against No. 3 seed Elena Lebakina on Friday to reach the semifinals of the WTA 500 event.
Less than 24 hours after beating Yulia Putintseva in 3 hours and 13 minutes, Second longest match of WTA season so farAfterwards, Haddad Maya was again forced to come back from behind to unseat the reigning Wimbledon champion and Australian Open finalist.
In their first meeting, Haddad Maya won 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 after losing the first set. She hit 19 aces under Rybakina’s racket and never dropped serve in the second and third sets, securing the victory in 2 hours and 4 minutes.
words from the winners: Haddad Maia also dropped the first set in a first-round win over Marie Bozukova and broke Putintseva’s serve to win 6-4, 6-7(5), 7-6(4) after midnight .
Faced with Rybakina’s proud serve and quick turn, Haddad Maia said she liked the challenge.
Takeaway: Zheng Qinwen upsets Kasakina to advance to Abu Dhabi semi-finals
“It was a very tough fight today. Rybakina, she’s a really good player, one of the best in the world… so I know I have to push myself every single game, Especially on her serve,” Haddad Maia said. “I was trying to find a way to come back, break her and give myself another chance, and I’m happy with my win.
“I don’t think I went to bed until 3am last night [after beating Putintseva]. The adrenaline is in my body. After the treatment, I left at almost 1 o’clock. …It’s not easy celebrating a win knowing you’ll be racing in a few hours. I was at the gym this morning…but I love it. “
Statistics of the day: Haddad Maya has now won her past six bouts against top-10 opponents, going back four years. She lost her first six games against these players.
next: Haddad Maya will face the winner of the previous quarter-final match between No. 4 seed Veronica Kudermetova and No. 8 seed Lyudmila Samsonova.
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