Lepchenko right there again at Pro Classic

Three times in four years, Varvara Lepchenko reached the finals of the Movie Gallery Pro Classic.

Three times in four years, she watched as another player celebrated the title.

Lepchenko is back this year, and hopes that she can reach the finals once again. Of course, she is hoping for a different result.

“I have been here many times, and a lot of good things have happened to me here,” Lepchenko said. “This was the beginning of a lot of good things.”

Lepchenko reached the quarterfinals on Thursday with a 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 win over Tetiana Luzhanska of the Ukraine. Fourth-seed Lepchenko will face sixth seed Evbeniya Rodina today.

The road to a fourth final in five years will not be easy. Lepchenko lost last year’s final to Bethanie Mattek. In 2005 Milagros Sequera knocked her off, and in 2006 it was Yuliana Fedak who won the title.

But this year, a trip to the finals might be the most rewarding of the trips.

“It is different this year,” she said. “All the players are in the top 200, but before you might face some in the 300s.
“It’s more competitive this year.”

Thursday’s match certainly lent credence to Lepchenko’s statement. Lepchenko opened the first set with a win, but she dropped the next two games to Luzhanska. Lepchenko, sporting two knee braces and tape on her left upper leg, rallied to win the next two games. Luzhanksa tied the set at 3, before Lepchenko pulled away.

In the second set, Luzhanska took control, leading 1-0 and 2-1 on her way to a 6-2 win to split the sets.

After a break, Lepchenko came out in a new set of clothes and a new attitude. She rolled to a 5-0 lead and won 6-2 to take the match.

“I just changed my mindset,” she said. “I played my game.”