Against the No. 426

2:6, 1:6 – Grabher still waiting for her comeback win

Austria's number one tennis player, Julia Grabher from Vorarlberg, is still waiting for her first win after her injury break. At the ITF W100 tournament in Wiesbaden (Germany), the 27-year-old had to concede defeat to German qualifier Anna Gabric.

Julia Grabher was able to fight her way up to 54th place in the WTA world rankings last summer. The Dornbirn native was then put out of action for six months by a protracted wrist injury. She only returned to the tour at the end of March at the WTA 125 tournament in Antalya.

Narrow defeat on comeback
Although weakened by food poisoning, she won the first set 7:5 against the German Noma Noha Akugue (WTA no. 185) and had five match points in the second set. However, she missed them all and was ultimately beaten 7:5, 5:7, 2:6. 
In the first week of April, Günter Bresnik's protégé competed in the ITF W75 event in Split (Croatia). Once again without success. In the first round, she lost 3:6 and 4:6 to local hero Pia Lovric (WTA no. 553). Julia also failed to win the Billie Jean King Cup in Portugal. She lost 2:6, 3:6 to Denmark's Clara Tauson (WTA No. 87) and lost 1:6, 3:6 to Natalia Szabanin (Hun/WTA No. 601). 

Seven double faults
And her fifth attempt in Wiesbaden was not crowned with the success she had hoped for either. Grabher lost her serve in the very first game against the 25-year-old German Anna Gabric. Although she managed to re-break immediately, Gabric then took four games in a row to take the first set 6:2.
Grabher took a 1:0 lead in the second set - but it was to remain her only point. The crux of the matter: At 1:1 and on her own serve, the player from Vorarlberg first fended off seven (!) break points and then missed the chance to take a 2:1 lead. After 1:13 minutes, Gabric converted her first match point to win 6:2 and 6:1. Strikingly, Grabher made seven double faults and only got 56 percent of her first serves into the court...