Albert Montanes bounces over Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo to enter semis – I Marbella Open 2012
In an all-Spanish affair, Albert Montanes stunned his third seeded compatriot Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo in a three-set nail-biter at the I Marbella Open 2012 on Friday. He summed up a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory against the Alicante native to progress into the semi-finals
at this clay court tournament taking place in Marbella, Spain.
Seeded sixth in this tournament, Montanes re-ignited his spark to outmuscle Ramirez Hidalgo in one hour and 38 minutes. The contestants previously battled each other at the VTR Open in Vina del Mar earlier this season and after bagging this match, Montanes
comfortably secured a place in the last four.
The 34-year-old made quick in-roads at this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Challenger Tour event. He drew the first blood in the second game and cruised to a 3-0 lead. Ramirez Hidalgo held his composure and swiped his remaining serves, eventually
sealing the opener by winning six games to three. He was never challenged with any hindrance and cashed the lone break opportunity to inch closer towards his goal.
The former world number 22, Montanes found his momentum in the proceeding set. After Ramirez Hidalgo plucked his serve in the fourth game, the lower seeded Spaniard unleashed his skills and wiped out the last four games. He swiped his entire serves without
facing any breakpoint and cashed half of the four break chances to pull out the equaliser with a 6-2 score line.
Currently ranked 118th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Montanes kept momentum rolling in the deciding set. He again reeled off last four games and ultimately carved out the decider with a 6-2 success. The lower ranked Spaniard
blocked the only breakpoint he encountered and converted two out of three break chances to his advantage.
Montanes will face off seventh seeded Antonio Veic in the semi-finals. The Croatian seed stunned second seed, Alex Kuznetsov from Russia, in a three-set thriller to set up this meeting.
The Slovenian qualifier, Blaz Rola, will accompany Montanes in the proceeding round. He lost his serve twice but cashed two out of seven break chances to formulate a 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-3 victory against the local challenger, Sergio Gutierrez-Ferrol.
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