Day 4 Review: Johannesburg, Zagreb, and Santiago
February 4, 2010 · Print This Article
SA Tennis Open—Johannesburg, South Africa
Last year’s semifinalist David Ferrer advanced to the quarterfinals in South Africa on Thursday, defeating Filip Prpic 6-3, 6-4.
Hitting three aces while breaking the serve of his opponent on three occasions, Ferrer improved his record on the season to 3-2. The former world No. 4 had this to say after his win.
“I played well in the second set, but did struggle on my serve as I was a little nervous,” said Ferrer. “It isn’t easy to play here. I was fortunate to win before the rain arrived. I am happy to relax now. The club and hotel is close by, so that helps the players relax.”
Ferrer will be forced to continue his high first serve percentage in the quarterfinals when he battles former NCAA champion Somdev Devverman.
Devverman was sensational during his second-round match victory over Thiago Alves 6-4, 6-1. The 67-minute affair featured six aces by Devvarman to go along with 81 percent of his first serve points won and three breaks of serve.
The 24-year-old, who currently stands at the No. 162 rank in the world had this to say after his win.
“I really like playing here, my opponent was not as healthy as he wanted to be, but even then I played a good match and am happy to pull through,” said Devvarman. “He admitted it was jetlag and that he had not slept until 6 a.m. this morning. The tiredness seemed to hit him towards the end of the first set. I’m really excited to be playing another match.”
Elsewhere, Yen-Hsun Lu ousted Raven Klaasen 6-4, 7-5. Lu will await the winner of the day’s final match between top seed Gael Monfils and unseeded Frenchman Josselin Ouanna.
PBZ Zagreb Indoors—Croatia
Recent top 10 entree and top seed Marin Cilic made quick work of his second straight opponent in Zagreb this week, dismissing Daniel Koellerer 6-2, 6-1.
Needing a mere 61-minutes to oust Koellerer, Cilic won 93 percent of his first serve points (25-27), while placing 12 aces past his opponent.
The lanky 21-year-old will next face Ivo Karlovic or Alexandre Sidorenko in the quarterfinals.
Elsewhere, 2006 champion and two-time runner-up Ivan Ljubicic was ousted from the event by Lukas Lacko 7-6(3), 5-7, 7-6(5) in two hours and 39 minutes. Withstanding 18 aces from Ljubicic, Lacko pounded 12 aces of his own to defeat the No. 2 seed.
Lacko will next face Philipp Petzchner, who went the distance to defeat Benjamin Becker 1-6, 7-6(4), 7-6(6). Petzchner won 75 percent of his first serve points to capture his second win of the season. The German had arrived in Croatia winless on the year.
The final result of the day saw Michael Berrer dash the hopes of local favorite Petar Jelenic. Defeating the 22-year-old 6-4, 6-3, Berrer captured his fifth win of the season. Jelenic, who is currently ranked No. 544 in the world, was playing in his first main Tour match of the season.
Movistar Open—Santiago, Chile
No. 2 seed Juan Monaco will look to follow the lead of top seed Fernando Gonzalez by reaching the quarterfinal stage of the Movistar Open on Thursday.
Facing Juan Ignacio Chela in second-round action, Monaco will look to capture his fifth win of the season. Holding a great game for clay-courts, the 25-year-old Tandil native will have to add some variety to his game if he’s to challenge for the bigger titles on the dirt.
Top seed Gonzalez will next see action on Friday in Chile. The four-time champion destroyed his second straight opponent in the event on Wednesday, defeating Oscar Hernandez 6-2, 6-1. Gonzalez had this to say after his victory.
“I think I played a better match today,” said Gonzalez, who is now unbeaten in 11 straight matches at Chile’s ATP World Tour 250 tournament. “Yesterday the points were shorter and today I had to work harder for them.”
Other matches on day four action in Santiago will include:
No. 3 seed Thomaz Bellucci vs. Paul Capdeville, Eduardo Schwank vs. No. 6 seed Jose Acasuso, and Peter Luczak vs. David Marrero.
As always, please check TennisConnected’s live score section for up to the second results on all the day’s matches. Talk soon.
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