Zvonareva battles past Lansere to enter 28th Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge semis

Experience will meet raw youth, while a Chinese will front the Asian challenge against a recent champion in the singles semi-finals of the 28th Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge at the Habtoor Grande Resort, on Saturday.

Now 41 and handed out a wild card here, former world No. 2 Vera Zvonareva staged a remarkable fightback to tame fellow Russian Sofya Lansere 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 in nearly three hours of quality action, after 16-year-old qualifier Mika Stojsavljevic took nearly two and a half hours before defeating Polina Iatcenko 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (4) to set up a rather intriguing semi-final clash between the old and the new.

In the lower end of the draw, Petra Marcinko - last week’s champion at the Fujairah W75 tournament — was leading 7-6 (5), 1-0 after her Dutch opponent Arantxa Rus retired, while Xinyu Gao of China will lead the Asian challenge following her 7-6 (4), 6-2 win against last week’s runner-up in Fujairah, Alevtina Ibragimova.

Relieved at coming through one of the tough matches in recent memory, Zvonareva predicted another challenge ahead.

“It’s not going to get any easier now on. I have watched Mika [Stojsavljevic] play, and I can see why she has been so successful on the tour so far. This is going to be yet another challenge before me,” Zvonareva admitted.

“I was suffering out there, but I was also enjoying each and every point. That was some quality there and I was trying my best to just hang in and of course win it,” she smiled.

Playing in her last week of competition for 2025, China’s Gao was also eager to test her opponent Marcinko, who went all the way at the inaugural W75 in Fujairah last week.

“The idea was to just play a percentage game, and that is how I managed to fight back from 1-3 down against a much stronger opponent,” Gao disclosed.

“I just kept on believing in myself, and I think I did well in closing down some crucial points at the right time. I am in the last week of competition, and I have to convince myself to do a little bit better against one of the hardest strikers of the ball [Marcinko] tomorrow,” she added.

Possibly just two matches away from a second title in as many weeks, Marcinko was pleased with the way things have shaped up for her.

“The battle in the first set was unexpected, but then she went up to the chair and informed that she was feeling very sick.

“It is sad to see a player go out like this, but I’ve got to re-focus and get ready for my semi-final against Gao,” Marcinko stated.

Earlier, 16-year-old British girl Mika Stojsavljevic made heavy weather before stepping past Iatcenko in three sets. “There were far too many shifts in the match,” Stojsavljevic admitted.

“But in the end during the tie-break I just went for my shots and that paid off.

“I realise that every new day has its own challenges, and I am much wiser having played a match like this against a tough opponent,” she added.

The doubles semi-finals line-up was also decided with Mika Stojsavljevic and Olivia Gadecki meeting Xinyu Gao and Mananchaya Sawangkaew, while the Indian pair of Shrivalli Rashmikaa Bhamidipaty and Ankita Raina will play Rada Zolotareva and Vera Zvonareva in the lower half.

Saturday’s action will get under way at the Habtoor Grand Resort tennis courts at 10.30am with entry for public absolutely free.

Results at the end of Day Five of the 28th Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge at the Habtoor Grand Resort, on Friday:

(Singles) Mika Stojsavljevic bt Polina Iatcenko 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (4); Xinyu Gao bt Alevtina Ibragimova 7-6 (4), 6-2; Vera Zvonareva bt Sofya Lansere 7-5, 2-6, 6-3; Petra Marcinko bt Arantxa Rus 7-6 (5), 1-0 (retd.).

(Doubles) Shrivalli Rashmikaa Bhamidipaty/Ankita Raina bt Elena Pridankina/Ekaterina Yashina 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (8); Olivia Gadecki/Mika Stojsavljevic vs Harriet Dart/Arina Rodionova 7-6 (7), 6-1.