Lansere edges a break-filled opener and beats Akugue to reach Luanda final

Eighth seed Sofya Lansere of Russia came through a first set full of breaks of serve, then pulled away in the second to beat Germany’s second seed Noma Noha Akugue 7-6 (6), 6-2 in the semi-finals of the Luanda WTA 125 on Saturday.

The result went against the rankings, with Akugue, 22, coming into the match at No. 118.

How Lansere beat Akugue

The opening set turned into a long exchange of breaks. Lansere broke for 5-4 and again for 6-5, but Akugue broke straight back each time to force a tie-break.

Akugue’s serve proved the weak point. She hit 10 double faults, against two for Lansere, and won only 26% of points on her second serve, while Lansere won 62% of hers.

In the second set, she broke for 2-0 and, after Akugue pulled back to 3-2, broke again for 4-2. She sealed the match with another break, converting her first match point to win the set 6-2.

Lansere faces Blinkova or Feistel next Lansere opened her week with a 6-0, 7-5 win over Angella Okutoyi of Kenya in the first round. She then beat Slovenia’s Kristina Novak 6-0, 6-1 in the last 16. Her quarter-final against Poland’s Martyna Kubka was a tighter affair, a 7-6 (4), 7-5 win that took 2 hours 22 minutes.

Lansere’s path to the final

First round: d. Angella Okutoyi 6-0, 7-5
Second round: d. Kristina Novak 6-0, 6-1
Quarter-final: d. Martyna Kubka (3) 7-6 (4), 7-5
Semi-final: d. Noma Noha Akugue (2) 7-6 (6), 6-2

Akugue’s path to the semi-finals

First round: d. Wozuko Mdlulwa 6-2, 6-0
Second round: d. Madhurima Sawant (LL) 6-2, 6-0
Quarter-final: d. Justina Mikulskyte (5) 6-2, 6-3
Semi-final: lost to Sofya Lansere (8) 7-6 (6), 6-2