Bhupathi/Zimonjic, Fyrstenberg/Matkowski through to the quarters – Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell 2012
Mahesh Bhupathi/Nenad Zimonjic beat Jonathan Erlich/Andy Ram 7-6(4), 4-6, 10-6
Third seeds, Mahesh Bhupathi of India and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia, rallied after losing the second set to overcome Israelis, Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram, 7-6(4), 4-6, 10-6 in the second round at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell
in Spain on Thursday.
Erlich and Ram drew the first blood, as the broke the Indian-Serbian team in the eighth game to go up 5-3 but Bhupathi and Zimonjic bounced back immediately to even out the score at 5-5. Both pairs held their serve to take the
score to 6-6 and force a tie-breaker. The Indian-Serbian duo made a great start, racing to a 4-0 lead. They capitalised on the advantage and sealed it 7-6(4).
In the second set, the Israelis snatched a break in the third game and this time they consolidated on it, taking a 3-1 lead. Erlich and Ram sustained the advantage till the end, grabbing it 6-4.
The Israeli duo won first three points but then Bhupathi and Zimonjic clinched six in a row to move ahead 6-3. The Indian-Serbian combination capitalised on the advantage to win 10-6.
Bhupathi and Zimonjic required an hour and 37 minutes win a tough battle.
The Indian-Serbian team will play Spaniards, Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez, in the quarter-final.
Mariusz Fyrstenberg/Marcin Matkowski defeat Eric Butorac/Bruno Soares 3-6, 7-6(3), 12-10
Seeded fourth in the draw, Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski of Poland fought back from a deficit of one set, overpowering American-Brazilian pair of Eric Butorac and Bruno Soares 3-6, 7-6(3), 12-10 to reach the last eight.
The match lasted for an hour and 35 minutes.
Butorac and Soares were first to grab lead, breaking the Poles in the third game of the first set and holding their next serve to attain a 3-1 advantage. The American-Brazilian tandem struck again in the ninth game to triumph 6-3.
In the second set, none of the two teams succeeded in claiming a breakthrough, levelling the score at 6-6 and taking it to a tie-breaker. Fyrstenberg and Matkowski built a 5-1 lead and did not allow their opponents to come back,
winning it 7-6(3).
The Polish duo and Butorac/Soares went on equal terms till 10-10 in the match tie-breaker but then Fyrstenberg and Matkowski stepped up their game to claim two successive points and close it 12-10.
Ranked eighth in the world, Fyrstenberg and Matkowski will take on Pakistani-Dutch combination of Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and Jean-Julien Rojer in the quarter-final. Qureshi and Rojer toppled Murray brothers in the second round.
Tags: