Stunova’s Survivor Skills Lead Her Into Tennis Semifinals

It took a marathon three-hour, three-set thriller against Sanaz Ghazal of Temecula Valley High on Thursday, but Rio Mesa’s Zuzana Stunova survived to reach the semifinals of the Southern Section individual tennis championships at Lindborg Racquet Club.

Stunova, a junior exchange student from the Czech Republic, defeated Ghazal, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, after beating Anuba Sarohia of Pasadena Poly, 6-2, 6-4, earlier in the day.

Against Ghazal, Stunova lost the first set after taking a 4-2 lead, then feared the match was slipping away when she lost the first game of the second set.

“I wasn’t playing well then,” she said. “I had to just start playing every ball.”

She rallied with her powerful ground strokes and won the next three games to take control of the set. In the third set, Stunova jumped out to a 4-2 lead but failed to capitalize on two match points as Ghazal forged a 5-5 tie.

Leading, 6-5, Stunova came back from a 15-40 deficit and sent the game to deuce with a brilliant backhand drop shot. She took the next two points and the match.

“She was very patient,” Stunova said of Ghazal. “So I started to be more patient.”

Stunova, seeded No. 2, will face third-seeded Nina Vaughn of Corona del Mar today at 9 a.m.

In doubles play, Shera Wiegler and Kirsten Gross of Calabasas also advanced to the semifinals with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 victory over Amy Medlin and Holli Freudenberg of El Modena. Earlier, the Calabasas team beat Christina Irinco and Shalanda Romero of Burroughs, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2.

Wiegler and Gross, seeded third, will play second-seeded Alissa Scott and Megan Wachtler of Corona del Mar at 9 a.m.

In other matches, Helena Horak of Westlake lost to Carla Nasca of Upland, 2-6, 2-6. Twins Erin and Katy Smith of Westlake lost to Michele Johnson and Katie Tierney of Dana Hills, 6-2, 2-6, 3-6.

Surprise qualifiers Shantal Pershing and Kendale Nohre of Burbank were overmatched by Scott and Wachtler, 6-0, 6-0.