Haase Falls; Kitzbühel Resident Kohlschreiber Wins
There were plenty of keenly contested first-round encounters on Tuesday at the Generali Open, in the medieval ski resort town of Kitzbühel.
Colombian qualifier Santiago Giraldo extended his perfect record to 4-0 against 2011 and 2012 titlist Robin Haase mid-afternoon in a 7-6(6), 4-6, 6-4 win over two hours and 13 minutes. Fifth seed Haase hit 19 aces, but, having managed to save two set points at 5-6 in the first set, could not convert his lone opportunity at 6/5 in the tie-break. Giraldo now challenges Austrian wild card and last year’s semi-finalist Gerald Melzer, who advanced with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 win over Carlos Berlocq of Argentina.
German and Kitzbühel resident Philipp Kohlschreiber, who captured the 2015 title (d. Mathieu) having reached the 2012 final (l. to Haase), didn’t have things all his own way in a 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 win over Argentinean qualifier Facundo Bagnis over two hours and 11 minutes. Kohlschreiber led by a set and 2-0 in their first meeting since the 2014 US Open. He now goes onto face seventh-seeded Czech Jiri Vesely, who was a 6-4, 6-4 victor over Yannick Hanfmann, last week’s J. Safra Sarasin Swiss Open Gstaad runner-up (l. to Fognini).
Sixth seed Jan-Lennard Struff saved all three break points he faced against fellow German and former World No. 2 Tommy Haas in a 6-3, 7-6(4) win over one hour and 33 minutes. He plays Brazil’s Thomaz Bellucci next. Haas, 39, was competing for the first time at the ATP World Tour 250 tournament since 1999.
"I’m very happy, very pleased to have been able to play these events," said Haas. "That means a lot to me. Saying goodbye on my own terms was very, very important. Even here, it’s one of the nicest areas in the world, not only for summertime but in wintertime skiing, Love coming back here, love the culture here, so it was a pleasure playing in front of this crowd once again. Wish I could have been in it a little bit more, but that’s how it goes, and let’s see what the future holds."
Eighth seed Horacio Zeballos saved four match points and broke Rogerio Dutra Silva’s serve just once (nine of 10 break points saved) in a two-hour and 54-minute victory, 2-6, 7-6(11), 7-6(4). Zeballos first held a set point on Dutra’s Silva’s serve at 5-6, 30/40 in the second set, before converting his fourth chance in the tie-break. Dutra Silva, who would recover from a 2-4 deficit in the deciding set, squandered match point opportunities at 6/5, 8/7, 10/9 and 11/10 in the second set tie-break. Zeballos will now face fellow Argentinean Renzo Olivo, a 7-5, 6-2 victor over Brazilian lucky loser Thiago Monteiro, in round two.
Matkowski/Zimonjic Lead Seeds Through
In doubles, the four seeded teams all won their opening matches. Top seeds Marcin Matkowski and Nenad Zimonjic edged Roman Jebavy and Vesely 7-6(5), 7-6(4) in 89 minutes, saving nine of 11 break points faced. Last week in Hamburg, Zimonjic became the 10th player to record 700 doubles match wins.
Second seed Julio Peralta and Zeballos required a mere 44 minutes to dismiss Nikoloz Basilashvili and Aliaksandr Bury 6-1, 6-0. No. 3 seeds Marcus Daniell and Marcelo Demoliner defeated Brazilians Thomaz Bellucci and Andre Sa 6-4, 6-4, while fourth seeds Pablo Cuevas and Guillermo Duran closed out a 6-4, 3-6, 10-5 win over Haase and Dominic Inglot.
Source: http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/haas-kohlschreiber-haase-kitzbuhel-2017-tuesday
Colombian qualifier Santiago Giraldo extended his perfect record to 4-0 against 2011 and 2012 titlist Robin Haase mid-afternoon in a 7-6(6), 4-6, 6-4 win over two hours and 13 minutes. Fifth seed Haase hit 19 aces, but, having managed to save two set points at 5-6 in the first set, could not convert his lone opportunity at 6/5 in the tie-break. Giraldo now challenges Austrian wild card and last year’s semi-finalist Gerald Melzer, who advanced with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 win over Carlos Berlocq of Argentina.
 |
| Two-time former champion Robin Haase could not convert a set point in the first set of his match against Santiago Giraldo on Tuesday in Kitzbühel. |
Sixth seed Jan-Lennard Struff saved all three break points he faced against fellow German and former World No. 2 Tommy Haas in a 6-3, 7-6(4) win over one hour and 33 minutes. He plays Brazil’s Thomaz Bellucci next. Haas, 39, was competing for the first time at the ATP World Tour 250 tournament since 1999.
"I’m very happy, very pleased to have been able to play these events," said Haas. "That means a lot to me. Saying goodbye on my own terms was very, very important. Even here, it’s one of the nicest areas in the world, not only for summertime but in wintertime skiing, Love coming back here, love the culture here, so it was a pleasure playing in front of this crowd once again. Wish I could have been in it a little bit more, but that’s how it goes, and let’s see what the future holds."
Eighth seed Horacio Zeballos saved four match points and broke Rogerio Dutra Silva’s serve just once (nine of 10 break points saved) in a two-hour and 54-minute victory, 2-6, 7-6(11), 7-6(4). Zeballos first held a set point on Dutra’s Silva’s serve at 5-6, 30/40 in the second set, before converting his fourth chance in the tie-break. Dutra Silva, who would recover from a 2-4 deficit in the deciding set, squandered match point opportunities at 6/5, 8/7, 10/9 and 11/10 in the second set tie-break. Zeballos will now face fellow Argentinean Renzo Olivo, a 7-5, 6-2 victor over Brazilian lucky loser Thiago Monteiro, in round two.
Matkowski/Zimonjic Lead Seeds Through
In doubles, the four seeded teams all won their opening matches. Top seeds Marcin Matkowski and Nenad Zimonjic edged Roman Jebavy and Vesely 7-6(5), 7-6(4) in 89 minutes, saving nine of 11 break points faced. Last week in Hamburg, Zimonjic became the 10th player to record 700 doubles match wins.
Second seed Julio Peralta and Zeballos required a mere 44 minutes to dismiss Nikoloz Basilashvili and Aliaksandr Bury 6-1, 6-0. No. 3 seeds Marcus Daniell and Marcelo Demoliner defeated Brazilians Thomaz Bellucci and Andre Sa 6-4, 6-4, while fourth seeds Pablo Cuevas and Guillermo Duran closed out a 6-4, 3-6, 10-5 win over Haase and Dominic Inglot.
Source: http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/haas-kohlschreiber-haase-kitzbuhel-2017-tuesday
Post a Comment