2010 kremlin Cup Men’s Singles Competition; Tuesday’s Review
Radek Stepanek toppled his Romanian tennis foe, Victor Hanescu, in a two-set clash at the 2010 Kremlin Cup Men’s Singles Competition on Tuesday. The final match score was 7-6(5), 6-3.
The fifth seed Stepanek, who was also a quarter finalist in Moscow back in 2004 as well as 2007, took fifty of his sixty five points on serve and did not face a single break point to secure his third victory against Victor (Victor has one just of the four encounters between the two players). The Romanian on the other hand has dropped down to 24-22 match record (24 wins against 22 losses) on the year as a result of this loss.
The 31-year-old Radek was sidelined for almost three months during the start of the year due to mononucleosis and has a match record of 13-13 in 2010. He earlier ended as runner up at the Brisbane International competition at the hands of Andy Roddick back in January.
Meanwhile, the sixth seed Andrey Golubev dispatched off Maximo Gonzalez from Argentine in two sets to make his way into the second round in Moscow. The final match score was 6-3, 6-2. The clash lasted just 77 minutes on Tuesday. Andrey converted a total of three out of his six break point chances to advance at the Kremlin Cup. World number thirty four has successfully improved his ranking by almost hundred places since the beginning of the year, helped by capturing his first ATP World Tour crown in Hamburg after getting the better of Melzer and advancing into the final of Malaysian Open last month.
He will next take on Igor Kunitsyn, who won the tournament back in 2008. Igor made his way into the next round after beating Andreev in two sets. The final match score was 6-4, 7-6(5). World number 118 Kunitsyn captured his only ATP World Tour crown after beating Marat Safin in the final in Moscow back in 2008.
Elsewhere, Mikhail Kukushkin who is currently ranked 74 in the world ousted Jeremy Chardy in straight sets to confirm his place in the second round on Tuesday. The final match score was 6-2, 6-4. The battle lasted for 78 minutes in Moscow. Mikhail has so far won a total of two ATP Challenger Tour crowns in 2010.
The youngest Ukrainian in the top hundred ATP ranking list, Alexandr Dolgopolov also toppled Ilya Belyaev from Russia in two sets to advance at the Kremlin Cup. The final match score was 6-2, 6-4. The Russian was playing in his first main draw event on the tour. Dolgopolov, as a result of this victory has improved his match record to 18-20 in 2010.
Viktor Crivoi of Romania also got the better of Andrey Kuznetsov, a qualifier from Russia, in two sets to record his third tour-level victory on the season. The score line was 7-6(4), 6-3. The clash concluded in an hour and 37 minutes on Tuesday. Victor blasted a total of seven aces to get past his opponent.
In the doubles clashes, the Serbian pair of Viktor Troicki and Janko Tipsarevic outlasted Lovro Zovko and Dusan Vemic in two sets to reach the quarter final round in Moscow. The final match score was 7-6(5), 7-5.
They will meet American-Uruguayan duo of Michael Russell and Pablo Cuevas, who made their way into the final eight after an exciting match with Potito Starace and Daniele Bracciali in three sets. The final match score was 7-6(5), 6-7(7), 10-8.
In other action in Sweden, d**k Norman and Wesley Moodie also bounced back from a set down to beat Jordan Kerr and Jonathan Erlich in three sets to confirm their quarter final berth at the If Stockholm Open. The final match score was 5-7, 7-6(5), 10-7.
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