Alexandr Dolgopolov ousts injured Xavier Malisse to move into last four – Moselle Open 2011
Reigning world number 20, Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine clears the quarter-final round of the Moselle Open, defeating the 47th ranked Belgian, Xavier Malisse, on Friday night.
Being played on the indoor hard courts of the Arenes de Metz, in Metz, France, the contest ended in a most unfortunate manner, with Malisse pulling out of the second set due to a staid neck injury. The third seeded Dolgopolov bagged
the opening set 6-3 and was leading 1-0 in the second set when Malisse withdrew from the competition with severe pain in his neck muscles.
It was the 34th victory for Dolgopolov in the running year, earning him a place in the semi-finals of the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 tournament. The third seeded Ukrainian was in a very
strong position in the matchup but his opponent bestowed victory upon him in an undesirable manner.
The aggressive Ukrainian had complete hold of the curtailed version of the game and was in a commanding position to wrap up a straight sets victory. He delivered 57 per cent of his serve on target, including seven cracking aces
without a double faults being conceded. Dolgopolov dropped merely one point on his serve in the contest and reeled off 14 out of 15 first serve points.
Malisse appeared sloppy right from the first minute of play and his sluggishness was evident from his errant footwork. The Belgian coughed a number of unforced errors in the opener and let easy opportunities to his opponent to
strike easy winners. Malisse failed to craft a single break point in the contest and suffered two crushing break point conversions from Dolgopolov.
The third seed took the upper hand early in the game, breaking the Belgian opponent in his very first serve game of the match to lead 3-0. Dolgopolov played aggressive tennis throughout and held his lead to wrap up the first set
at 6-3. He registered his second serve break in the following set but Malisse immediately withdrew from the contest at 0-1 giving Dolgopolov a comprehensive victory.
A tough task awaits Dolgopolov in the next round clash, as he will take on the world number 10, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France, for a berth in the final of the Moselle Open. The hot favourite top seed won his quarter-final clash
against his fellow compatriot, Nicolas Mahut, in a three-set thriller, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, to reach the round of four. Tsonga is in tremendous form this year, winning 39-18 matches this season, which include two crushing wins against the world number three, Roger
Federer, in successive tournaments.
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