Urszula steps up with Ivanovic scalp
Originally published on: 25/09/12 00:00
Her older sister is the world No.3 – not to mention the first Polish woman to reach a Grand Slam final since 1939 – but it looks as if Urszula Radwanska is ready to move out of her sister’s shadow and tread her own path on tour.
Fresh from back-to-back semi-finals in Tashkent and Guangzhou, the 21-year-old Krakow native scored another confidence-boosting win on Tuesday, taking out former French Open champion Ana Ivanovic 6-3 4-6 6-2 at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.
"I didn't really know what to expect today," said Radwanska after recording her seventh career win over a top 20 player. "Maybe in the beginning I didn't believe I could win this match, but in the second set I started to play much more aggressive and saw it was working, so I just kept playing my game. I'm very happy to win this match – Ana is really a great player.
Urszula, who is a year and a half younger than Agnieszka, has never been beyond the second round of a Grand Slam, though wins over Alison Riske at this year’s Australian Open and Pauline Parmentier at Roland Garros mean she has now made round two at each of the four major tournaments. Though beaten in the first round at both Wimbledon and the US Open this year, by Marina Erakovic and Roberta Vinci respectively, the world No.36 made her first WTA final in ‘s-Hertogenbosch in June and has recorded convincing wins over Marion Bartoli (Brussels), Sabine Lisicki (Birmingham) and Daniela Hantuchova (Carlsbad) this season, with Ivanovic the latest scalp to add to the growing pile.
"Every match I play I have more experience and confidence," Radwanska said. "After beating a player like Ana, I believe I can beat the other top players."
Two inches taller than her more established sibling, Urszula turned pro at the same time as Agnieszka in 2005 but has accumulated less than 10 per cent of her elder sister’s $10million career earnings. She has lost three of their four tour meetings – in Eastbourne in 2009, at the US Open in 2011 and in Sydney this year – but won their first ever tour clash in Dubai in 2009.
Urszula plays Angelique Kerber for a place in the fourth round of the Toray Pan Pacific Open, an event won by her sister last year.
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