Irritated Italian Flavia Pennetta overcame the annoyance of an ice-pack treatment timeout by Anastasia Rodionova on the way to a bad-tempered 6-3, 7-5 win yesterday at the Bali Open.
“I was angry,” said the third seed, a US Open quarter-finalist. “If you are unable to play you should not stay on the court.”
Pennetta spoke out after her 77th-ranked opponent finally lost a second-round contest filled with fitness drama.
PHOTO: EPA
Rodionova was stretched out on the side of the court as she lost a 4-0 lead in the second set, her legs raised on a chair while ice packs were rubbed on her limbs and torso by the trainer at 5-4.
Pennetta, who revealed she herself “could not breathe” as she lost a dozen straight points to start the set, fumed at the service line during the treatment.
The Italian quickly took her anger out on her weakened opponent, coming through for the win that put her into the quarter-finals as she concluded with her seventh ace.
PHOTO: AP
“Those last three or four games were not nice for us or the public,” said the world No. 16. “The match was also tough for me but I didn’t call for the trainer.”
The Italian hopes to continue a solid run on hardcourt over the last few months, having played a California final and then making the last eight of at Flushing Meadows, where she lost to Dinara Safina.
“It is very humid and hot. I’m still getting over the jet-lag, waking up early and wanting to go back to the bed in the afternoon,” she said. “I’m here alone without a coach and I’m just working match-by-match. I’m tired but I want to go farther at this event.”
In another second-round match, Chan Yung-jan of Taiwan defeated China’s world No. 40 Peng Shuai 6-1, 7-5 to earn a quarter-final clash against top seed Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia.
The two have played each other only once, the World No. 11 beating Chan 6-4, 6-1 in Kolkata, India, last year.
In the quarter-finals of the women’s doubles Peng teamed up with Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei to defeat Anna-Lena Groenefeld of Germany and Patti Schnyder of Switzerland 6-3, 6-2.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STAFF WRITER
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