Francesca Schiavone has defeated Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan in the first round of the Toray Pan Pacific Open. Schiavone won the match by 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-4. Schiavone was not looking in the greatest of forms at the start of the match and she lost the opening set. But, the 32 years Old Italian veteran made a tremendous come back and won the match. The match went on for 2 hours and 50 minutes.

Both the players broke each other’s service twice in the first four games of the opening set and the scores were levelled at 2-2. The next four games went with the serve and the scores remained levelled. Shvedova managed to get another breakthrough in the ninth game and she didn’t lose that advantage. She easily served out the next game and won the first set by 6-4.

Shvedova got some confidence after winning the first set and she started the second set pretty well. She broke Schiavone’s service in the very first game and held her service in the second game to make the score 2-0. But, the young Kazakh star didn’t manage to maintain the lead till the end of the set. Schiavone got a breakthrough in the sixth game and the scores got levelled. There were no breakthroughs in the next six games and the set went into the tie breaker. Schiavone won the tie breaker and took the match to the third set.

In the third set, Shvedova looked a bit nervous and her service was broken in the third game. Schiavone held her service in the fourth game to get ahead by 3-1. Shvedova wasn’t able to level the scores after that and lost the match.

In the second round, Schiavone will take on Samantha Stosur of Australia.