By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, January 20, 2017
"It was tough in the end of the second set, and all third set, I think it was such a great tennis and fighting tennis," said Ekaterina Makarova after her first career win over Dominika Cibulkova.
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve
Barking at herself behind the baseline, Ekaterina Makarova tugged on her visor, shook her arm and looked jittery seeing her one set, 4-0 lead dissolve.
A stubborn Makarova talked herself into a stand.
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Makarova beat back a determined Dominika Cibulkova, 6-2, 6-7 (3), 6-3, to advance to the Australian Open round of 16 for the seventh straight year.
The 2015 Australian Open semifinalist will play ninth-seeded Briton Johanna Konta with a spot in her fourth Melbourne quarterfinal on the line. Konta, a Melbourne semifinalist last year, outclassed former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, 6-3, 6-1.
Reigning WTA finals champion Cibulkova carried a 3-0 lifetime record against Makarova onto Rod Laver Arena, but the lanky left-hander was cracking shots with authority and controlling many exchanges for the first set-and-a-half.
In a topsy-turvy match, Makarova reeled off 10 of the first 12 games only to see Cibulkova respond with a five game run of her own. There was a stream of frustrated mutterings, an eight minute bathroom break after the second set, a five minute injury timeout for treatment of her right elbow and strong stand from the 34th-ranked Russian who denied three break points holding for 4-3 in the decider.
"Well, after the second set I went to change," Makarova said. "I think that helps me a lot, because I calm down a little bit. Like, all right, this is it. Let's just fight and who will better, today will win?
"I started very good, started 2-Love for leading, like, not too much talking. For me, it's much better when I'm not talking too much to myself. I think my head was more clear."
Cibulkova stamped a love hold to open. Her first service game would be her last stress-free hold for some time.
Striking precise flat shots, Makarova lashed her lefty forehand inside-out scoring a second break for 4-1.
Grinding through rallies, the Slovak coaxed an errant forehand breaking back. Service trauma struck again as Makarova earned triple break point on a Cibulkova double fault. She denied all three only to see Makarova crunch a drive down the line for a fourth break point.
When Cibulkova ballooned a backhand beyond the baseline, Makarova had her third break and a 5-2 lead.
A resolute Makarova served out the 36-minute opener at love as Cibulkova put a backhand return into the bottom of the net.
Shots were flowing like all the right answers to a test as Makarova surged out to a 4-0 second-set lead.
Cibulkova’s support box looked grim as the sixth-ranked Slovak stared down at the court in front of her winning just six points in that four-game onslaught.
The forehand is Cibulkova’s signature shot. She began landing her forehand down the line holding the breaking for 2-4 when Makarova double faulted into net.
Hammering a crosscourt backhand that was initially called out but overruled by Hawk-Eye line calling technology, Cibulkova held for just the third time closing to 3-4.
An increasingly skittish Makarova held a game point for 5-3, but could not convert. Cibulkova leaned into a backhand down the line for a second break point. Then she cracked a forehand drawing the error for the break and her fourth straight game.
The Slovak spitfire earned three set points in the ninth game. Makarova denied them all sliding an ace to save the third and eventually stalling her free fall for 5-all.
Down 2-0 in the breaker, a fired-up Cibulkova played first-strike tennis winning six of the next seven points. On her fourth set point, Cibulkova drew a netted forehand to level the match after one hour, 52 minutes.
After an eight-minute bathroom break, Makarova returned to build a 2-0 lead. Holding for 3-2, Makarova took about a five-minute injury timeout for treatment of her right elbow.
When play resumed, Cibulkova was the more confident player earning three break points. Makarova, who looked on the verge of both cramping and tears at some points in the set, dug in and worked through an eight-minute hold for 4-3.
That stand turned the match around.
"This loss is just the one that I will think about few days, I will have in my head, because I really felt, you know, that in 3-all and the second or third advantage, I had the match," Cibulkova said. "I was having the match under control, and I knew this is the moment where I want to break her. And to just, you know, I really, really felt that this is the moment where I really, really want to break her. I can win this.
"So I was down the whole match, and then finally I felt like, okay, this is my moment. And I didn't make this two chances. Okay, one, she made an ace, and then I didn't make my two chances."
Down 40-15 in the next game, Makarova reeled off four consecutive points breaking for 5-3.
Drilling her fifth ace brought Makarova to match point. The 2014 Australian Open doubles finalist ended a two hour, 54-minute struggle when Cibulkova netted a running forehand.