by Francesca Curmi and Elaine Genovese were eliminated from W25 in Baza by the number four seeds Riya Bhatia and Olga Parres Azcoitia following a hard-fought match that saw the latter win a deciding tie-break by 10-8.
Curmi & Genovese Win Opening Set
The match was tightly contested from beginning to end and lasted just over two hours. The Maltese duo started on the wrong foot, falling to a break in the opening game. However, they immediately recovered it as Bhatia and Parres Azcoitia served to level the score 1-1.
Curmi & Genovese were the first team to hold in the next match and so nudge forward to 2-1, before mounting a second break on Bhatia and Parres Azcoitia’s serve to extend their lead to 3-1. However, the number four seeds responded with a break of their own, which the Maltese duo mirrored immediately in the next game to open another gap at 4-2. Curmi & Genovese then backed it up with a shutout hold to love.
At 5-2, Bhatia and Parres Azcoitia handled the pressure of serving to stay in the set well, completing the hold without facing a break point, before mounting a break of their own to close the gap to 5-4. With momentum in their sails, the number four seeds had the chance to extend the set or relinquish it if they were broken. The Maltese duo emerged with two set points but Bhatia & Parres Azcoitia recovered the points to a deuce before winning the deciding point to take the game and extend the set to 7. Curmi & Genovese managed the hold following a deciding point, which the number four seeds matched to take the match to 6-6, thus forcing a seven-point tie-break.
Bhatia & Parres Azcoitia opened with a 2-0 score, before Curmi & Genovese raced out to a 5-2 lead. Despite Bhatia & Parres Azcoitia recovering to 6-6, the Maltese duo took the final two consecutive points to win the tie-breaker and take the first set, 7-6 (8-6).
Bhatia & Parres Azcoitia Take The Second Set
The number four seeds opened on serve in a set they needed to win and the two teams held in their opening service games. At 1-1, Bhatia & Parres Azcoitia saved break point before securing the hold and then completed a break of their own in the next game to lead by 3-1.
However, they could not back it up with a hold, which saw the Maltese duo break back to love. Although Bhatia & Parres Azcoitia opened two break points in the next game, Curmi & Genovese recovered to deuce before securing the hold to level the score at 3-3. They then nudged into the lead for the first time in the second set by breaking in the next game, which they backed up with a hold to open a 5-3 lead.
The number four seeds dealt with the pressure to stay in the game well, holding comfortably without facing break point, to reduce the gap to 5-4 and return pressure on Curmi & Genovese to close out the match. In fact the number four seeds completed the break to level the score at 5-5 and extend the second set.
The two teams held their serve forcing the set to also go to a tie-break. The two teams exchanged points but this time the number four seeds stuck in to secure the set in their favour 7-6 (8-6).
Deciding Tie-Break
A set apiece sent the match into a ten-point deciding tie-break. The Maltese duo appeared to be cruising to a victory as they opened a 5-1 lead. However, the number four seeds roped themselves into the match by winning the next four points to level the score at 5-5.
Though the Maltese duo halted the comeback by taking the next point, Bhatia & Parres Azcoitia took the next four points to open a 9-6 lead and gain three match points. Curmi & Genovese saved two points to redcue the gap to 9-8. However, Bhatia & Parres Azcoitia won their third match point to close out the tie-break 10-8, and thus secure a place in the semi-finals.
The number four seeds will contest Olivia Gadecki and Samantha Murray Sharan for a place in the final. The latter two eliminated the number one seeds Camilla Rosatello & Sapfo Sakellaridi by winning a deciding tie-break 10-6.
Meanwhile, it was a day to forget for the Maltese contingent, with Francesca Curmi also being eliminated from the singles tournament earlier in the day. She succumbed to a 6-1, 6-3 defeat to Polish player Maja Chwalinska in the round of sixteen.
Lead Images: Riya Bhatia / IB Tennis / Malta Tennis Federation
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