TENNIS ROTTERDAM – Top-seed Andy Murray overcame Vasek Pospisil 6-3 7-5 after 1 hour and 43 minutes in the third round to reach the quarter final at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament. Diego Sampaolo
The first set went on serve until the eighth game when Murray got the break for 5-3 before holding serve to clinch the first set after 36 minutes.
Murray faced a stiff challenge from Pospisil in the second set when Pospisil created four break point chances to go up 2-0 but he failed to convert them. The second set went on serve until the fifth game when Murray fell on his ankle in the first game of the second set but he recovered breaking serve for 3-2 with a return down the line. Pospisil broke straight back to 3-3 with a return and took the 4-3 edge by holding his serve. Pospisil got a double break in the eighth game to open up a 5-3 lead as Murray received a code violation after smashing his racquet. Pospisil earned a set point at 5-3 but Murray saved it en route to reeling off four consecutive games.
The Scotsman broke serve for 6-5 after a very long 11th game at deuce before closing out on the third match point in the next game with 7-5. Murray produced 14 winners to Pospisil’s 25 and made 17 unforced errors compared to his rival’s 26. Pospisil earned break point chances early in the match but he managed to convert on two of his seven opportunities.
Murray will take on Gilles Simon who won the all-French derby against Jeremy Chardy with 6-4 6-3 with two breaks in the second set. Simon never faced a break point during the match and made just seven errors. Simon reaches the Rotterdam quarter final for the third time after 2008 and 2013.
“It was a tough match physically and mentally. Vasek is a good athlete and gets to a lot of balls. Thanks to this slow court I was able to move him around at the end and control the points. We had some long games and tough points. I moved well and I felt like when I really needed to, I was able to improve my level and step my game up a bit. I found a little bit of extra intensity in the important moments. He was in a great position but we had a 30-shot rally on the set point at 5-4. It was a very physical rally. I was making him do more of the running. It took quite a lot out of him”, said Murray
Thomas Berdych beat Andreas Seppi 6-0 3-6 6-3 in one hour and 28 minutes to get through to the quarter finals. Berdych, who defends his Rotterdam title won last year, converted on four of his break point chances and hit 10 aces. Berdych, Australian Open semifinalist and Doha runner-up earlier this year, improved his win-loss record in his head-to-head matches over Seppi to 8-2. Berdych set up a quarter final against Gael Monfils on Friday.
Seppi dropped the first set with a bagel after winning just three points on Berdych’s serve. The Italian bounced back in the second set by winning five consecutive points on Berdych’s serve and got the break in the fourth game of the second set. He held his serve to win the second set with 6-3. Berdych got the break in the fourth game of the third set. Seppi had to save some break points for the double break before Berdych wrapped up the match with 6-3.
“Seppi was not easy at all. I had my game plan. He just started to play much better and took his chance, the only one he had in the second set. But in the third set I was to get my chances and execute”, said Berdych
Stan Wawrinka, who last played in Rotterdam ten years ago, battled past World Number 27 Guillermo Garcia Lopez 6-7 (2-7) 6-4 6-2. Both players traded breaks in the first two games. Then the first set went on serve. The first set came down to the tie-break where the Spanish player won 7-2. It was the second time that they played a tie-break this year after last month at the Australian Open where Garcia Lopez opened up a 6-2 lead before Wawrinka saved four set points. .
Wawrinka broke serve in the ninth game of the second set to take the edge with 5-4 before forcing the match to the third set. Wawrinka dominated a one-sided third set cruising to 4-0 with two more breaks of serve. Garcia Lopez, who won the Zagreb title last week beating Seppi, got his second break of the match in the fifth game of the decider. Wawrinka closed out on the second match point after 135 minutes. Wawrinka will take on Gilles Muller from Luxembourg. Wawrinka won their only previous head-to-head match.
“It was a good match with a lot of intensity. It was a tough battle”, said Wawrinka
Milos Raonic hit 17 aces to beat Australian Open doubles champion Simone Bolelli 6-3 7-6 (7-2) in the last match of the evening session. The Canadian had already beaten the Italian with the same score in their only previous head-to-head match in Rome last year. Bolelli will take on Sergiy Stakhovsky in the quarter finals.
Bolelli saved a break point in the fourth game before Raonic broke serve to love in the sixth game of the first set. Raonic held serve to take the first set with 6-3. Bolelli saved three break points in the first game of the second set and held serve with an ace. Bolelli came two points from winning the set at 5-4 but Raonic held serve at deuce with two winners. In the tie-break Bolelli went down a mini-break. He broke back but he made three unforced errors while he was serving. Raonic won the tie-break with 7-2.
