Alexandr Dolgopolov beats Stanislas Wawrinka to reach Abierto Mexicano Telcel semis
Ukraine’s Alexandr Dolgopolov, 6th seed at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel, created a minor upset today when he knocked out the 4th seed, Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland, in straight sets. The 22-year-old sensation had to give his best
to defeat the in-form man from Lausanne. The match was a raging contest throughout; Dolgopolov took nearly two hours to come out on top, with a final score of 6-4, 7-6.
As this was the first meeting between the two players, most pundits were finding it hard to call this match before it actually happened. Their failing was completely justified, as the closeness of the encounter showed. With both players giving their all
throughout, it was an entertaining contest that was decided on a few mistakes here and there.
The first set started with Dolgopolov serving well. He got in 59 per cent of his first serves and his opponent was not far behind with 54 per cent. The total number of service points won was nearly identical, with the Ukrainian converting 64 per cent of
his total serving points compared to Wawrinka’s 63 per cent conversion rate. What mattered then was the timing of the points that each player won, and this was where the eastern European player came out ahead. He managed to string together more points and
thus gained 6 breaking opportunities, one of which he converted to take the set 6-4.
The second set saw an even intense competition from the duo. Wawrinka in particular improved his serving immensely, raising his first serve percentage to 74 per cent in the process. The percentage of the points won on serve, while still almost equal for
both players, fell substantially on either end. Dolgopolov won 59 per cent of his service points, compared to the Swiss no.2’s 57 per cent. Since break points were provided amply by both the contestants, they broke twice each. With no room to separate them,
the set went into tie-break.
The tie break was no less intense than the rest of the set. Mini-breaks were exchanged, but yielded no dividends. It was not until the score stood at 8 all that Dolgopolov finally capitalised on his chances to take the set and the match.
Dologopolov will take on top seed David Ferrer in the semi-final; the pair last met at the US Open’s first round. Though the Ukrainian has lost both his previous encounters against the Spaniard, he’s looking in good form in this tournament. With Ferrer struggling,
the match will be wide open.
Intense tennis action awaits fans tomorrow at the semifinals of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel.
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