Lisicki Edges Defending Champion Pennetta to Reach BNP Paribas Semis

March 20, 2015 | By New York Tennis Magazine Staff
Lisicki_Pic
Photo credit: Adam Wolfthal

Sabine Lisicki saved three match points to edge defending champion Flavia Pennetta 6-4, 6-7(3), 7-6(4) and reach the BNP Paribas Open semifinals. The 24th seeded German needed two hours and 40 minutes to move past Pennetta and reach her first semifinal of the season.

“It’s unbelievable. It’s such a great feeling to be part of such a great match,” Lisicki said addressing the crowd. “She saved a match point with an unbelievable backhand—I could not have done much different there. And then I saved three match points in the third set. It was just an unbelievable feeling to play in front of all of you.”

In the first ever meeting between the two players, Lisicki jumped out on top, capturing the first set 6-4. She then rallied from down 1-3 and took a 5-4 advantage in the next frame, but was unable to finish things off on match point.

Pennetta would come out on top in a tie-breaker and force the match into a deciding third set.

The decider featured holds from both players throughout the first nine games. Pennetta had a chance to break and close things out while up 5-4, but Lisicki saved three match points on her serve to even things up.

On match point in the tiebreaker, the German fired her fifth ace of the contest to close out the defending champion and reach the first semifinal of the season.

In the final four, Lisicki will meet another defending champion, 18th seeded Jelena Jankovic. The Serb led 6-4, 4-1 against Ukrainian qualifier Lesia Tsurenko before Tsurenko retired with a right ankle injury.

“It’s never nice to end a match that way,” said Jankovic. “Lesia has had such a great tournament and has beaten so many great players. In the second set she started limping and I saw she had some problems.”

Jankovic is 4-1 all-time against Lisicki, with all four of those victories going the full three-sets.

In the first semifinal in Indian Wells, world number one Serena Williams will clash with third-ranked Simona Halep. 


New York Tennis Magazine Staff
Oneononedoubles banner art resize
USTA NTC

January/February 2024 Digital Edition