Saturday 16 January 2010By Melanie Reiffenstein
Yvonne Meusburger of Austria advanced to the main draw of Australian Open 2010 on Saturday, defeating Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the United States 3-6 7-5 6-4 in the final round of qualifying.
Meusburger trailed by a set and was down 5-3 in the second set before rallying for the victory. In the third set, the 26-year-old Austrian took a 4-0 lead only to see Mattek-Sands storm back to level the score at 4-4. But unforced errors then began to creep into the American’s game, and she sent a backhand long over the baseline on match point.
“She (Mattek-Sands) played very well in the first and second sets and I was lucky to come back,” said Meusburger after the gruelling match, which lasted two hours and 20 minutes.
“I was up 4-0 in the third set, and there were a lot of bad calls for both of us. That’s when I got a little nervous, so I am very happy I won.”
With her victory, Meusburger, ranked No. 116, has reached the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament for the 13th time in her career.
As for the No. 153-ranked Mattek-Sands, despite having played in the main draws of nine US Opens, four French Opens and four Wimbledons, she has still yet to make it into the main draw at Melbourne Park. The 24-year-old American wore her trademark knee-high socks during the match on Court 12.
The tight contest was reflected in the total number of points won – 102 for Meusburger and 100 for Mattek-Sands.
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