Tennis: Radwanska fights back to beat Bacsinszky

Radwanska (right) at the net with Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland after their third-round match. PHOTO: EPA

LONDON (REUTERS) - Poland's ninth seed Agnieszka Radwanska recovered from a slow start to beat injury-troubled Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland 3-6 6-4 6-1 on Saturday (July 8) and reach the last 16.

Radwanska, beaten finalist in 2012, will face Russian eighth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova in the fourth round on Monday - a player she has beaten just four times in 17 meetings.

The 28-year-old Bacsinszky, playing on Centre Court for the first time, mixed up the pace of her shots well to take the first set, but had to call a medical time-out at the end of the second set and received heavy strapping on her thigh.

The injury, picked up when sprinting to the net, clearly affected the Swiss in the third set. "It's quite frustrating, because I think I played a great first set. I was putting so much strength as well in my shots and I could go for the winners and I was able to really plant my feet solidly," said Bacsinszky.

"At around 3-2 in the second set, there was this sharp pain coming to my quad and more the adductor muscle. I was struggling a lot to get low in my knees and which had helped me very much in my first two rounds. I'm pretty sad that happened," she said.

Radwanska though clearly felt that the momentum had already turned in her direction.

"I had a great match, especially (given) she's a really tricky opponent. She can do everything on court and you can expect everything. Playing aggressive and then also slices, mixing up all the things. I think it was a great match from the beginning till the end.

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"After the second set, I just found my game and I was trying to be more aggressive. I think, as well, I was serving better in the third set," she added.

Kuznetsova has proved a tough opponent for the Pole, who last beat the Russian on clay at Madrid in 2014 although she did triumph at Wimbledon in 2008.

"We have played so many matches, so many good ones, so many three-setters. Playing her is always very challenging. You know, every ball is going to go to your side over and over again. You're not going to have any free points," said Radwanska.

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