
Schaefer outduels H. Jansen to make first career PPA final
In the final match of the day from Pictona, Dominique Schaefer advanced to her first career PPA final with a 13-11, 11-3 victory over No. 14 seed Helena Jansen.
Both players had already pulled off impressive upset victories on Thursday, with Jansen having beaten defending champion Salome Devidze and Schaefer having knocked out top-seeded Lea Jansen.
Riding the confidence of those victories, Schaefer and Jansen played a tightly contested opening game. Both players opted to have more extended rallies from the baseline, with Schaefer eventually pulling through by a 13-11 score line after saving one game point.
The errors began piling up for Jansen from there, and Schaefer took full advantage as she quickly pulled ahead in Game 2 and cruised to the win.
The former Peruvian junior tennis star will face No. 2 seed Kaitlyn Christian in Sunday’s final. The two have played once before at the Red Rock Open back in April, with Christian coming away with a 5-11, 11-6, 11-9 victory.
Schaefer is already thinking of ways to counteract Christian’s crisp volleys from the kitchen line.
“I’m gonna try and just trust my passing shots,” she mentioned. “I think those are some of my best shots, and then I’ll come up whenever I get the opportunity.”
Schaefer isn’t the only player that will be going for PPA gold for the first time on Sunday. Zane Ford will also look to earn his maiden title in the Sunshine State after his run through the men’s singles draw.
Read about his performance here.
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