Schiavone saves eight match points
Italy's Francesca Schiavone reached the quarterfinals at 's-Hertogenbosch in Netherlands on Wednesday, saving eight match points in her 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (10/8) win over Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu.
Schiavone, who had fought off a match point in coming back from 5-3 down in the third set of her first round victory over Maria Kirilenko, was seemingly down and out on Wednesday when she was 6/0 down in the third set tie-break.
However, she reeled off six straight points to tie it up, fought off two more match points from there and finally clinched victory at the Wimbledon warm-up event on her first match point.
"When I started the tie-break, I said 'Francesca, come on, pay attention and take two or three of the first six or seven points.' Nothing, 6-0," Schiavone said.
"I went to the other side and told myself there is not too big a difference in winning or losing one point, so keep going and push. We will see what happens. And then I won."
Schiavone tackles Kim Clijsters in Thursday's quarterfinals.
She is 0-11 all-time against the Belgian without ever having won a set, though they have not played since 2006.
"I'm really happy to play against her," Schiavone said. "I think it's a fantastic opportunity for both of us to play a high-level match before a Grand Slam and get more time in on the grass."
