Anderson/ Isner struggle past locals Granollers/ Lopez into the final eight – Valencia Open 2011
Unseeded team of South African Kevin Anderson and American John Isner moved into their first ever doubles quarterfinal at the 2011 Valencia Open 500 after doing away locals Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez in three sets. The first
time pairing of Isner and Anderson bounced back from a set down to secure a 5-7, 7-5, 10-6 win into the final eight.
The surprising team of Anderson and Isner had earlier upset the third seeded team of Horia Tecau and Robert Lindstedt in the opening round before meeting the Spaniards in the round of sixteen.
The first timers opened the first set and carrying over their seed upsetting form, the pair battled past the local crowd support as they went toe-to-toe with the Spaniards. With respective hold of serves from both the teams, the
scoreboard kept ticking on even terms. Facing six breakpoint opportunities, Anderson and Isner managed to save five of them. Riding the only one they relinquished, Granollers/ Lopez broke their opponents in the eleventh game before serving out the set to go
one up in the set score.
Down but not out, Anderson and Isner refocused and held on in the second set. Once more engaging their opponents in a neck-to-neck run, the eventual winners matched blow for blow as they kept the score levelled at all times. At
one point in the set, Granollers and Lopez managed to capitalise on a breakpoint. However, the lead was short-lived as Anderson/ Isner broke back immediately. Turning over the tables in the second set, Anderson/ Isner broke Granollers/ Lopez in the twelfth
game to register a reversal of the score with a 7-5 in of their own, bringing the set score to even terms.
A set win a piece forced the set into a deciding tiebreaker. The locals exhausted by the two long sets lost steam in the tiebreaker. Trailing along all the way, the Spaniards clinched a total of six points while Anderson/ Isner
cruised to a 10 point victory, ensuring their survival at the event.
The South African American tandem moves into the quarterfinal of the event where they will next play either the team of Eric Butorac and Jean-Julien Rojer or local wildcard entrants, Daniel Gimeno-Traver and Pere Riba.
Tags: