Gasparyan on road back after knee surgeries

NEW HAVEN — To comeback to women’s professional tennis after one knee surgery is a challenge.

But to return to action after three knee surgeries is a daunting mountain to climb.

However, Margarita Gasparyan of Russia is working her way back along that long and winding tennis trail.

The 23-year-old stands one victory away from joining next week’s main draw at the WTA Connecticut Open at the Connecticut Tennis Center.

Gasparyan survived a nearly three-hour, threeset marathon Saturday to defeat Su-Wei Hsieh of Taipei, 4-6, 7-6 (10-8), 6-3 in second round qualifying bracket play.

“I’m very happy to be in this position. To be here after such a long layoff is a miracle. Today I fought to the end. I feel I truly deserved this win,” Gasparyan said. “The process is just step by step. And let’s see what (Sunday) brings.”

As the qualifying bracket has gone from 32 down to 12, Gasparyan will meet Monica Puig of Puerto Rico Sunday at a time to be determined. The winner advances to the Connecticut Open Main Draw as one of the six qualifiers.

Gasparyan earned Saturday’s triumph the hard way. She lost the first set to Hsieh, 6-4. Gasparyan saw second set leads of 5-2 and 6-5 turn into a tiebreaker. In the tiebreak, Gasparyan trailed 7-6 before winning four of the next five points for a 10-8 victory to force a third set.

The final set was a roller-coaster. Gasparyan led 3-0, saw the 32-year-old Hsieh tie it 3-3 before she took three straight games for the dramatic triumph.

“Hsieh (No. 43 in the world singles rankings) had an unbelievable drop shot. That was the big issue,” Gasparyan said. “She changes the rhythm of points. She has a small margin for error. I had to control my emotions to survive.”

Gasparyan, currently No. 403 in the world singles rankings, wants to get back to where Hsieh is now (No. 43).

Gasparyan finished 2015 at No. 62 in the world, getting as high as No. 41 during that season. She was No. 115 in 2016 when the string of knee surgeries and rehabs took over.

The fight back began in October 2017 for Gasparyan, who has played tennis since age 5.

Displaying a power game, Gasparyan has made her impact at hardcourt events. In May, she reached the quarterfinals in one event and lost in the finals at another in Spain.

She reached her next main draw in late July , falling in the round of 16 at Nanchang, China.

So getting into the Connecticut Open main draw would be a great step forward.

“My physical condition is not perfect. I can only work every day to get better,” Gasparyan said. “I have to spend time on the tennis court. But I have to spend time with the physical rehab people as well. It’s tough mentally. I feel pain every day. But I fight every day. Originally I thought the process would be a few months and one surgery. But it became one year and four months and two more surgeries.

“At my best in 2015, I was at No. 41 in the world. When you go up the rankings, you play in the best tournaments against the best players. It’s an amazing feeling,” Gasparyan continued. “The long range goal is to get back to that. Right now, it feels good to be out on the court playing.”

Gasparyan’s coach Carlos Martinez is optimistic about where the journey goes from here.

“Margarita started serious practice last March. She’s improved her ground strokes a lot. Fitness is the big issue. She has the talent to improve very fast,” Martinez said. “Margarita needs to play matches. I see a big difference from a month ago. Earning ranking points is the immediate objective.”