2011 Heineken Open: Nicolas Almagro ousts Victor Hanescu to reach the quarterfinals
The 25-year-old Nicolas Almagro of Spain has made his way into the quarterfinal round of the 2011 Heineken Open on Wednesday. The second seed hammered down Victor Hanescu of Romania in two sets. The final match score was 6-4, 7-6.
Nicolas, who was playing in his first ATP singles match of the season, as a result of this victory has reached the final eight round in Auckland for the second time in last three years on the tour.
“Every match is important but the first one is more important than others. I think I played very good all match. At the beginning of the match I started very aggressive with my forehand and my serve, and I think I played one of
the best sets in a long time. I think if I play like I did today I can do big things in the year,” reflected the world number 14 after his victory on Wednesday.
Almagro right from the start of the match played with high level of confidence and blasted strong ground strokes to break his opponent’s serve and thus, sealed the set at 6-4. His Romanian opponent failed to put any pressure on
him all through the opening set, which made things relatively easier for Nicolas to quickly wrap up the set.
The deciding set, however, was far more interesting as Hanescu not only broke his foe during the fourth game but also had two break points later. Unfortunately, the Romanian couldn’t utilize them and double faulted in the next
game. The match went to a tie breaker which Nicolas won in the end to emerge victorious.
Almagro, as a result of this win, will meet the winner of the match between Arnaud Clement and Adrian Mannarino in the quarters.
"I am very happy today with my tennis. It was the first match of the season so it was important and I'm looking forward to my match in the quarterfinals,” added Nicolas.
Meanwhile, the seventh seed Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci also cruised past Tommy Robredo of Spain in three sets earlier in the day. The final match score was 6-4, 3-6, 6-1. The match lasted for a time period of one hour and forty
seven minutes.
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