Seventh seed Elena Dementieva needed 159 minutes to overwhelm unseeded Meilen Tu of America 6-7 (5), 6-0, 7-5.
This was Russian’s first match since February 15th, and the first one she has won since February 2nd. World No. 13 was sidelined by injury for two and a half months; she broke three of her ribs while training with her new coach. When she complained about the pain she felt, the coach kept telling her that it was a normal part of the exercise. In the end, he lost his job, and Dementieva lost two months of practice. However, it could have been even worse — “I kept wondering if I should come back to competitive tennis,” she said.
Weather conditions, severe wind and light snow, made Dementieva’s comeback match even more difficult; “When it’s this cold, I can feel my broken ribs. It’s so nice to sit in a warm room,” she said in a press conference.
Demetieva is happy to have won this match, but still, she feels that her tennis was rather poor. (via: J&S Cup)
