Mumbai, Nov 24 (PTI) Uzbekistan's unheralded SabinaSharipova caused a major upset in the USD 125,000 L&T MumbaiOpen by rallying from a set behind to oust third seed YaninaWickmayer of Belgium and enter the singles semi finals heretoday.
Sabina, ranked 196 and four inches shorter than hersix-foot tall rival who is a former world no. 12 player, wonthe one hour, 56-minute match 3-6 6-4 6-2 to earn a shot atSlovenia's Dalila Jakupovic in the semi finals of the WTAseries event tomorrow.
Jakupovic beat back the challenge of qualifier AlizeZim of France in straight sets, 6-3 6-1 in just under an hourin an earlier quarter final at the Cricket Club of IndiaÂ’scourts.
Sharipova easily lost the opening set against her115th-ranked Belgian rival but picked up the threads andcreated a huge upset.
After winning the second set to restore parity,Sharipova traded breaks with her rival in the first two gamesof the decider before breaking her rivalÂ’s serve in the thirdto go 2-1 up.
The 23-year-old Uzbek player had to save twobreak-points in the next game to hold her serve for a 3-1 leadand then broke WickmeyerÂ’s serve again to take a 5-2 lead.
She held her serve comfortably to come out a deservingwinner against the 28-year-old Belgian who was a top-30 playerfor four years running between 2009 and 2012 and a semi-finalist at the US Open in 2009.
Meanwhile, India's lukewarm challenge in the doublescame to an end when Karman Thandi and Pranjala Yadlapalli wentdown in straight sets to second seeds Dalila Jakupovic ofSlovenia and Irina Khromacheva of Russia late last night.
Results:Singles (Quarter finals): Dalila Jakupovic (SLO) btQ-Alize Lim (FRA) 6-3 6-1; Sabina Sharipova (UZB) bt 3-YaninaWickmayer (BEL) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Doubles (quarter-finals): 2-Dalila Jakupovic(SLO)/Irina Khromacheva (RUS) bt Karman Thandi/PranjalaYadlapalli (IND) 6-4, 6-2; 4-Julia Glushko (ISR)/Priscilla Hon(AUS) bt Junri Namigata (JPN)/Peangtarn Plipuech (THA) 7-6(5),6-3; Q-Beatrice Gumulya (INA)/Ana Veselinovic (MNE) bt1-Oksana Kalashnikova (GEO)/Veronika Kudermetova (RUS) 6-0,6-1;Victoria Rodriguez (MEX)/Bibiane Schoofs (NED) bt EvaWacanno (NED)/Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) 6-4, 7-6(4). PTI SSRRSY.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.