by Jessie Aney and Elena Malygina defeated Francesca Curmi and Elaine Genovese in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, to progress to the semi-finals in the W60 Doubles Tournament being held in Liepaja.
Early Break Sets the Tone
Curmi & Genovese were up against it as the third seeds hit the ground running from the off. Aney and Malygina forced a deuce before taking the deciding point to catch a break in the opening game. They sustained it with a decisive hold before the Maltese duo got on the scoreboard in another game that went the distance. The two kept chasing each other’s serve but neither could manage another break, though at 3-1, the Maltese duo had to cancel two breakpoints before they managed the hold.
At 5-4, Aney and Malygina were serving out the set, and the Maltese duo appeared to have them by the scruff of the neck. However, they could not convert the two breakpoints, with Aney and Malygina forcing a deuce and taking the deciding point to close out the set in their favour 6-4.
Costly Double Fault and Missed Opportunities
Curmi & Genovese opened the second set with a straightforward hold, before mounting pressure to try to secure a break early on Aney’s serve. However, Aney & Malygina were having none of it and closed the door without facing breakpoint. Looping balls appeared to be the way forward for the Maltese as they attempted to break serve, while outstanding rallying at the net secured the holds. On the other hand, Aney and Malygina gave as good as they got, with no break in sight at 3-3.
However, Aney & Malygina upped the ante on the next game. Facing two breakpoints, pressure and perhaps some tiredness got to the server and a double fault handed the break to enable Aney & Malygina to nudge forward. The Maltese duo attempted to break straight back but saw two breakpoints erased. The American and Estonian then forced a deciding point which they won to secure the hold and edge closer at 5-3. A final service match followed, which Aney and Malygina secured to love, delivering the final blow with a pacey cross-court return, to win the match in straight sets 6-4, 6-3.
Key Points & Next Match
The match saw double faults creep into the Maltese duo’s game, while Malygina and Aney delivered a strong first serve percentage (77%), coupled with a flawless second serve-in percentage. Frustratingly for Curmi & Genovese, they also eyed seven breakpoint opportunities but failed to convert a single one. Meanwhile, though Malygina and Aney did not have an outstanding rate of conversion, they just did enough to convert three out of the eight opportunities to secure the victory.
The win takes number three seeds Jessie Aney and Elena Malygina into the semi-finals were they meet with Cagla Buyukakcay and Lina Gjorcheska. The latter progressed to the last four by beating top seeds Jessy Rompies and Olivia Tjandramulia in straight sets 7-5, 6-4.
Photo: Mario Mifsud / ITF / UNC Athletics
