Bjorn Phau stuns Paolo Lorenzi to secure quarter-final spot – Salzburg Indoors 2011 CH
German Bjorn Phau surprised everyone by upsetting fourth seeded Italian Paolo Lorenzi in straight sets at the Salzburg Indoors 2011, an ATP Challenger Tour event taking place at Salzburg Arena in Salzburg, Austria. He earned a
6-3, 6-2 victory over the Rome native Lorenzi to book a last eight spot on Wednesday.
World number 154 Phau dominated throughout the match to oust the seed, ranked forty-four places above him, on his second challenger level meeting. He stayed on course for his second year-to-date challenger title (first one was
at Marburg) after overpowering the Italian in this one hour and seven minutes long marathon and advancing into the quarters.
A former world number 69, Phau quickly swiped in entire serves without facing any breakpoint. Further mustering the set, he capitalised on the only breakpoint opportunity to his advantage in the sixth game and pocketed the set
with a 6-3 win. The German clobbered an equal first serve share of 58 percent but registered an incredible 78 percent win on it.
The high flying German carried his winning ways in the final set and after getting the first blood, he went 2-0 up. Phau quickly slide in entire serves without facing any breakpoint and converted another breakpoint chance to his
advantage in the fifth game. He cashed in two out of five breakpoint opportunities to his advantage to seal the deal with a 6-2 victory.
The German formulated a lower first serve share of 68 percent as opposed to Lorenzi’s 77 percent but earned a spectacular 93 percent win on it.
Next up for the German is the winner of the match between his compatriot Daniel Brands and seventh seeded Slovene Grega Zemlja. Phau can easily brush off resilience from anyone if he continues to play like this.
Top seeded Slovak Karol Beck will be joining the German in the last eight. He eased past Israeli Amir Weintraub in straight sets in one hour and twenty-three minutes.
Beck defended all three breakpoints faced and cashed in the only breakpoint opportunity in the opening set to clinch it with a 6-4 victory.
He kept momentum sailing in the final set and converted three out of four breakpoint chances to his advantage to seal the win by a 6-4 score line again. The Slovak failed to brush off both breakpoints came across and clobbered
a lower first serve share of 63 percent as compared to Weintraub’s 70 percent. However, he registered a convincing 59 percent win on it and edged over the Israeli with a breakpoint conversion rate of 75 percent.
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