The match was the longest two-set match of the women’s tournament thus far.
Pennetta was up 5–2 in the first set and appeared to have all aspects of her game under control, but Peng fought back to 5–4. The feisty Italian veteran dug in, and dropped two aces in a row before firing a solid forehand winner to clinch the set 6–4.
The second set opened with neither player able to hold serve for the first four games. Peng said that her serve was not on today, and she had been struggling with a strain in the muscles in her back. She had been taking injections trying to alleviate the pain, but still felt she could not fully stretch due to the injury.
Pennetta began to feel fatigue and towards the end of the second set actually became sick on the court. “This one is one of the worst I never feel in the court. I think was because it's really humid today.”
In the end, Peng folded under pressure, with Pennetta taking the tie break down from 5–0. Peng has never beat Pennetta in five tries.
Like a fine Italian wine, Pennetta has also gotten better with age. “There is some player can growing up early and some player they need time, and I'm one of them,” she said after her match. “I know I'm a little bit old, like for tennis. For life I'm young.”
Pennetta is one of the oldest women’s players remaining, competing in her 35th main draw of a Grand Slam.
She has never reached a semifinal, but will first have to beat Angelique Kerber, the German who has quietly made her way into the quarterfinals.
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