2011 Regions Morgan Keegan Championships quarterfinalists
Part III
The 2011 Regions Morgan Keegan Championships, held in Memphis, will conclude with a new champion by the end of this weekend.
The first and second round matches have already been played, and eight quarterfinalists have made it through to the next round for a chance to win the trophy.
Several of the players, who made it through to the quarterfinals are either seeded players, or, have had enough experience to see them through to the later stages of any tournament.
However, here is where the concept of wild cards comes into play. This special provision ensures that players, who may not be so high-up in the rankings, have a chance to prove themselves in any tournament.
This year, the 2011 Regions Morgan Keegan Championships featured two wildcards, Canadian tennis pro, Milos Raonic, and Argentine Grand Slam winner, Juan Martin Del Potro. Both these players have made it to the quarterfinals of the event.
Milos Raonic
Just a year ago, this Canadian player was ranked world number 361. His rise to his current position of number 59 has been nothing short of meteoric. Within a year, the 20-year-old has jumped three hundred spots in the ATP rankings.
Raonic won his first ATP career title last week, within just three years of joining the professional circuit. He defeated world number 9, Fernando Verdasco, to take away the SAP Open title.
In an interesting coincidence, the wildcard drew Verdasco once again in his first round match at Memphis. He defeated the second seed for the second time in four days, winning the opening round 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(5). This victory promoted him to the second round
of the tournament, where he drew Czech player Radek Stepanek.
Stepanek is a former world number 8, and has been playing for almost fifteen years. Many spectators expected Raonic to falter during the match, especially due to the fact that he had played two gruelling matches in the last week.
However, he managed to defeat the world number 65 in three sets, winning the match 6-4, 7-6(10), 7-6(1).
Raonic will now face American qualifier and world number 110, Robert Kendrick, in the quarterfinals of the tournament.
Juan Martin Del Potro
Juan Martin Del Potro first came to fame in 2009, when he won his first Grand Slam title at the 2009 US Open. However, he was afflicted with multiple injuries not long after, and was then forced to drop out of the professional circuit for almost year.
Now ranked world number 298, Potro has returned to the tour with a vengeance.
The Argentine player was awarded a wildcard to play in the Memphis event. His first challenge was sixth seed American John Isner, who is famous for the longest match ever. He made short work of the player, winning the match 6-4, 6-3.
After this victory, he proceeded to the second round against Ivan Dodig of Croatia.
Dodig won his first career title at Zagreb this year, and defeated German pro, Rainer Schuettler, to set up the second round meeting with Del Potro.
The 22-year-old Argentine scored another straight-sets win against Dodig, winning the match 6-4, 6-4. He will now compete against American qualifier, Michael Russell, in the Memphis quarterfinals.
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