Jacquemot Survives Marathon Semifinal Against Selekhmeteva at WTA 125 Contrexéville

The clay courts of Contrexéville, France, were the scene of a truly gripping semifinal encounter at the local WTA 125 tournament. What unfolded was a tenacious battle between local hope **Elsa Jacquemot**, ranked 113th in the world, and Russia`s **Oksana Selekhmeteva**, holding the 144th spot.

Over the course of a demanding 2 hours and 45 minutes, the two competitors exchanged powerful strokes and strategic plays, pushing each other to the absolute limit. Selekhmeteva, despite her lower ranking, started strong, managing to secure the opening set with a comfortable 6-3 scoreline. It appeared she might be on her way to an upset and a place in the final.

However, professional tennis at this level rarely follows a simple script. Jacquemot, spurred on by the potential of reaching a home final, dug deep. The second and third sets escalated into tight, nerve-wracking affairs, ultimately requiring tie-breaks to determine the victor. In a rather unusual and perhaps frustrating twist for Selekhmeteva, both crucial tie-breaks concluded with the same result: a decisive 7-0 in favour of the French player. This left the final score at 3-6, 7-6(0), 7-6(0) in favour of Jacquemot.

The raw statistics of the match paint a vivid picture of just how incredibly close this contest was, despite the one-sided tie-break outcomes. After nearly three hours of gruelling play, both Jacquemot and Selekhmeteva had won the exact same number of total points – 108 apiece. A rare statistic that underscores the fine margins at play, proving that while the scoreboard tells one story, the battle on court was evenly matched in its intensity and execution, save for those two decisive tie-breaks.

This hard-fought victory means Elsa Jacquemot now levels her career head-to-head record against Selekhmeteva at 2-2. More importantly, it propels her into the final of the Contrexéville WTA 125 tournament, where she will face Great Britain`s **Francesca Jones** for the championship title.

For Selekhmeteva, it marks the end of a strong tournament run, having come agonizingly close to reaching the final. For Jacquemot, it`s a significant achievement, battling back from a set down in a marathon match to secure a spot in her home event`s final.