Magdalena Fręch's match has turned! The Polish actress is in contention for the semifinals of a major tournament.
Magdalena Fręch, after finishing the US Open, has been competing in Guadalajara since Friday. She began the tournament in the second round, facing Italian Lucrezia Stefanini. The Italian advanced to the main draw after qualifying wins over Sachia Vickery (6-4, 6-4) and Anastasia Kulikova (6-1, 6-4), and in the first round she defeated Sloane Stephens 6-4, 4-6, 6-1.
After losing to Coco Gauff in the third round of the US Open (3-6, 1-6), Magdalena Fręch moved to Guadalajara, where she triumphed last year, and is hoping for another successful run. Unfortunately, the current season hasn't been going her way. Last year, she recorded a record of 41 wins and 30 losses, winning the title in Guadalajara and reaching the final in Prague. This season, her best result remains a quarterfinal in Washington, D.C., and her overall record is just 12 wins and 22 losses.
On Friday, Magdalena Fręch started her match against Stefanini in excellent style, breaking every one of her opponent's service games and confidently winning the first set 6-1. In the second set, with the Polish player trailing 2-1, dark clouds descended on the court and heavy rain fell. The organizers were forced to suspend the match. After waiting out the rain and allowing the court to dry, the players returned to play. Stefanini took the initiative after the restart. From 1-2, the Italian broke Fręch to 3-2, then held her serve without dropping a point, taking a 4-2 lead.
From that moment on, Fręch began to chase her opponent. In a break-heavy, lopsided set, she first saved two break points that could have given Stefanini a 5-3 lead, and then broke the Italian to zero, leveling the score at 4-4. Late in the set, Fręch took a 5-4 lead and earned a match point, but Stefanini saved herself with three bold shots to the corners to level the score at 5-5.
The final set became even more exciting. The Italian followed up, capitalizing on Fręch's momentary lapse in concentration. From 30-30, she took a risk and broke for 6-5 with two winning sets. The brave Pole responded immediately, clawing back the deficit and forcing a tie-break. Fręch started the set better, notching a mini-break in the second set to take a 2-1 lead. The Pole capitalized on her experience, and the Italian made two errors, losing 4-1.
Unfortunately, Fręch lost the lead again this time. Stefanini consistently outplayed the Pole, forcing her to run all over the court and often finishing with a powerful backhand down the line. In the final moments, Fręch attempted to respond with increasingly aggressive play, but the Italian was in a trance, winning five consecutive points from 1-4. At 6-4 for Stefanini, the Pole suddenly began hitting close to the line, saving two set points, and after a confident serve, she went up 7-6. After a long rally, the Italian sent the ball just over the back line, and it was Fręch who, in incredible circumstances, sealed the second set and the match.
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