Safarova beats Gavrilova in Birmingham thriller

Lucie Safarova saved three match points to beat Daria Gavrilova in a Birmingham epic on Friday, advancing to the semifinals of the Aegon Classic.

Safarova, a former world No.5 and 2014 Wimbledon semifinalist, outlasted the Australian 6-7(4) 6-3 7-6(5) in three hours and three minutes.

“It was such an amazing fight between the both of us and I am so happy that I won,” Safarova said. “I stayed positive until the end. I had a few opportunities but she was serving well. I just believed that I could pull it out and win it.”

At the net.
Great match ladies !! pic.twitter.com/JF0TxjziGb

— Christopher Levy (@tennis_shots) June 23, 2017

While that match was an epic, the last two quarterfinals on Friday’s bill were shorter affairs, as CoCo Vandeweghe and Camila Giorgi both succumbed to injury and retired from their matches.

As a result, Garbine Muguruza and Ash Barty progressed and will meet in the last four.

Gavrilova, meanwhile, was left to rue what might have been when she earned two match points on Safarova’s serve in the ninth game of the third set and then a third when serving for the match at 5-4.

She also led 5-3 in the final tiebreak before the Czech stormed back to claim an intense victory.

Yet Gavrilova could only tip her hat to Safarova, who played aggressive, positive tennis when facing almost certain defeat.

The quality of the rallies and the intensity of the tennis thrilled the crowd and had pundits expressing their admiration for both women.

For the 2nd time this week, Safarova saves MPs to win. Beats Gavrilova 7-6 in third. PHENOMENAL from both. Outstanding stuff.

— Ravi Ubha (@raviubha) June 23, 2017

I think I made a huge mistake by not watching Safarova vs Gavrilova????

— Dmitry Shakhov (@Shahovez) June 23, 2017

Gavrilova when down an early break in the first set and staved off an incredibly five set points in a titanic 12th game before racing to a 6-0 lead in the first set tiebreak.

She closed it out only for Safarova to hit back strongly in the second set, building a 5-1 lead and sending the match into a third set three games later.

The two women were hard to separate in the final set – six of the set’s 12 games progressed to deuce – until Gavrilova scored the first blow with a break in game seven, which she later consolidated for a 5-3 lead.

Smiles all round after an unbelievable point! ????

Take a bow, @LucieSafarova! #AegonClassic pic.twitter.com/z3amQbzZkF

— WTA (@WTA) June 23, 2017

She was bidding to reach her first ever tour-level grasscourt semifinal, but Safarova would not be denied.

Now ranked No.41, Safarova next takes on fellow Czech Petra Kvitova, who beat fifth seed Kristina Mladenovic.

Kvitova served for the match at 6-4 5-4 only to be broken back, yet refocused to send the second set to a tiebreak. There she trailed 3-1 before coming back to seal a 6-4 7-6(5) win over one of 2017’s most in-form players.

Welcome to the #AegonClassic Semi-Finals @Petra_Kvitova!

Petra battled past #Mladenovic 6-4, 7-6!pic.twitter.com/CqXnWA96xg

— British Tennis (@BritishTennis) June 23, 2017

It was Kvitova who ended Safarova’s 2014 Wimbledon run in the semis before going on to win her second title at the All England Club.