Quite a lot has changed since the last time Switzerland’s Timea Bacsinszky and Romania’s Monica Niculescu met in the pro tour – at the 2011 Australian Open first round, a match that ended with a first set bagel and a two-set win for Niculescu, her fourth in five meetings against Bacsinszky.

Four and a half years later, they met again, in a whole new ballgame. Bacsinszky rebounded like few thought she would, after losing almost a full year between 2011 and 2012 due to injuries and failing to immediately come back after her return to the tour. This year, the 26-year-old Swiss displayed enormous potential, en route to three WTA-level finals, two titles and her first ever major semifinal, at the French Open in early June.

Bacsinszky, the currently fifteenth best-ranked woman in the world, had never been past the second round of a Grand Slam before Roland Garros. Now, facing the world number 48 and old nemesis Niculescu, she could record her second consecutive trip to at least the quarterfinals of the most important events in tennis calendar.

In the first set, however, it was her Romanian foe who was off to the races. The Slatina native broke the Swiss in the first game of the match, then held for 2/0. And despite Timea holding to avoid a bagel, she could not avoid the other bakery product – a breadstick. The two break points Monica fended off in the fourth game killed entirely Bacsinszky’s attempt to gain some momentum in the set, and the Romanian went to win the set, 6/1.

Set two began much like the first: with Niculescu winning the first game. This time, however, the 15th-seeded Swiss held, and both players exchanged holds until the seventh game, when a backhand forcer error from the Romanian put Bacsinszky in the lead for the first time in the match. Timea, however, was broken right back, and the trend continue until the 12th game. With a tiebreaker on the line – after Monica was broken to love in the previous game – the Swiss stepped up her game to win the rather sloppy frame, serving out the set to 30, clinching it 7/5 and taking the fourth round match to the third and final frame.

And then, Bacsinszky imposed her game, breezing past her 27-year old opponent in 36 minutes. First, the Swiss was awarded a break as Niculescu double-faulted down 0-40 in the opening game. After that, the next time Monica was back serving, down 0/2, she hit two more double faults, and once again was broken to love. They both would go on and exchange breaks, before the Lausanne woman took hold of the set again, breaking her opponent in the fifth game and holding the sixth, to keep a safe two-break distance entering the final moments of the set.

After a love hold from Niculescu in the seventh game, Bacsinszky did not even blink when it came to serve out the match: two winners from her own combined with two unforced errors from her opponent wrapped up the set and match her way: a 1/6, 7/5, 6/2 triumph that puts her among the best eight women of the 2015 Wimbledon championship.

Timea Bacsinszky now faces 20th seed Garbiñe Muguruza for a place in the final four. Their only previous meeting happened earlier this year, at the third round of the Australian Open, with the Spaniard prevailing in three sets. Both players seek their first ever Wimbledon semifinal. 

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About the author
Pete Liguori
Sports writer for the Racing and Tennis sections on VAVEL. Also a huge baseball and football fan. Trying to live the Big City dream. Follow me on Twitter, chaps: @PeteUSSports