61-61 on serve, yet 1-2 on the scoreboard: Han Shi's return game sinks Kalieva

61-61. Service points won, dead level after three sets in Beijing's qualifying second round — neither Elvina Kalieva nor Han Shi ahead by a single point on their own serve. The verdict went the other way: Han Shi, 1-2, on 110 total points to 95 and 19 games to 15.

Set one was a serve-and-hold slog. Kalieva won 30 service points to Shi's 27, the pair traded one break each, and the break-point saves went 2-of-3 for Kalieva, 3-of-4 for Shi. Shi out-aced her 3-1, yet the tiebreak — and the set, 7-6 — went to Kalieva.

Shi levelled in the second. She won 21 service points to Kalieva's 18, edged the return count 17-15, added two aces to Kalieva's none, and broke three times to Kalieva's two to take it 7-5. The decider tilted harder: on serve the set finished 13-13, yet Shi won 14 of 18 return points to Kalieva's 4, converted 3 break chances to 1, and pulled clear 6-3.

Han Shi's edge lived in the margins. Five aces to two, 63% of first serves landed against 57%, 40 first-serve points won to 37. She converted 7 break points to Kalieva's 4 and defended more efficiently, saving 6 of 10 (60%) while Kalieva saved 6 of 13 (46%). She faced just one break point in the decider and lost it — one game, not the match. Games finished 19-15 in her favour.

Dead even on serve, decisive on return — in qualifying, that is usually the whole story. Han Shi simply picked the right column to win.