The match between Sofia Araujo/Alejandra Salazar (4) and Patty Llaguno/Lucia Sainz (7) was the first of the day to be decided in three sets. In the end, after two hours and 21 minutes of battle (6-2 4-6 6-1), the No. 4 seeded pair won their ticket to tomorrow’s semifinal (not before 3 p.m.) against the winner of the last quarterfinal between Castelló/Osorio and Goenaga/Garcia. The match had started well for Araujo-Salazar, who, with a break in the sixth game, had closed the first set. In the second, however, everything happened: a bad volley by Salazar gave the break (4-3) to Llaguno/Sainz, who after saving the other ball went 5-3. On set point, the big mistake was Sainz’s and, on the following point, Araujo/Salazar had a chance to bring the score back to 5-5, but Llaguno/Sainz were saved by the net. A forehand volley to the net by Salazar gave Llaguno/Sainz another set point, this time converted thanks to another error by the Spaniard.
In the third set, however, an immediate break by the fourth seed was decisive. “I am very happy – Salazar said –. It was a difficult match, in which great patience was needed against two great defensive players like Patty and Lucia”. “We knew it was going to be a difficult match – added Araujo. “In the first set we played very well, then after losing the second we needed to fight and in this we were very united”.