Mattek-Sands Survives Marathon Match in Charleston

Written by: Staff on 2nd April 2013

Sony Open tennis tournament on Key Biscayne, Florida

Mattek-Sands Survives Marathon Match in Charleston

epa03630626 Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the US returns a ball to Misaki Doi of Japan during a qualifying match at the Sony Open tennis tournament in Miami, Florida, USA, 18 March 2013. Mattek-Sand won the match. EPA/ERIK S. LESSER |

3 hours and 42 minutes. That’s longer than most best-of-five matches on the men’s tour last. And yet today, in Charleston, South Carolina it was a WTA match that saw two players fight harder than anyone would have thought could be fought in a first round match. Wildcard Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the United States saved a match point en-route to a 6-4, 6-7(4), 7-6(3) win over Australian Anastasia Rodionova in the 2013 Family Circle Cup.

It wasn’t an easy match for either woman. Set aside the fact that nearly 4 hours is a long time for any WTA player to be on court, and both players still had to overcome the hurdle of injury. Mattek-Sands has been on the comeback trail from an injury that temporarily sidelined her in 2012 and Rodionova began suffering from severe cramping in the third set. At one point, a visibly upset Mattek-Sands called for her coach (husband Justin Sands) as Rodionova seemed to pull out any stall tactic she could to prolong points – arguing with the umpire, throwing tantrums, etc. Fellow players even began to recognize the caliber of the match being played as the player viewing area above Althea Gibson Court began to fill with spectators. And a little less than 4 hours later, the Australian was congratulating Mattek-Sands on a game well-played, as the American made sure to console her tearful opponent and ask how she was doing.

It was the longest WTA match of 2013 thus far, and we’re only just beginning April. The fact that it was only a first round match bodes well for the Charleston tournament and suggests even more exciting matchups to come this week. And it wasn’t the only match that went the distance. Two other first round matches went three sets and 19-year-old Jessica Pegula scored her first ever win on the WTA tour against Spaniard Margine Muguruza. Another young American, Grace Min scored her first WTA win as well when her opponent, 13th seeded Tamira Paszek retired with a neck injury.

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