Tatjana Maria shows strong nerves at the WTA tournament in Monterrey and secures her place in the second round.
Tennis player Tatjana Maria has reached the second round of the WTA tournament in Monterrey, Mexico, thanks to her strong nerves. The 38-year-old defeated Hungary’s Anna Bondar 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 in the dress rehearsal for the US Open and will now face either Czech Linda Noskova (No. 6) or qualifier Lulu Sun from New Zealand in the battle for a place in the quarter-finals.
The German number one lost her serve twice in the first set, but came back each time with a break and saved four set points at 2:6 in the tiebreak. The world number 43 also showed great resilience in the second set, trailing 2:5 at one point. After 2:14 hours, the mother of two from Bad Saulgau converted her first match point.
Maria, who caused a sensation in the summer with her victory at the Wimbledon warm-up tournament at Queen’s Club in London, is the only German player at the 250-tournament in the Mexican metropolis. The US Open, the last Grand Slam tournament of the year, starts next Sunday in New York.
