Bryan brothers survive past Kas/Peya into last eight – Erste Bank Open 2011
Top seeded American Bryan brothers, Bob and Mike, pulled out a victory over the German Austrian pair of Christopher Kas and Alexander Peya in brutal three sets on Thursday. They registered a 6-7(9), 7-6(4), 11-9 score line over
their opponents to secure a quarter-final spot at the Erste Bank Open 2011, an indoor hard court tournament held at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria.
Ranked number one in the ATP World Tour Doubles rankings, Bryan brothers squeezed their way to the limelight after overpowering the Kas and Peya tandem in a match which saw both teams keeping their serves by displaying exceptional
skills. They lost the opener but bounced back to secure a three setter victory over their rivals, ranked twelve places below them, in one hour and forty-eight minutes.
Facing the top ranked doubles team, Kas and Peya confidently entered the Austrian hard courts and smoothly bagged in entire serves without facing any breakpoint. They created three breakpoint opportunities but failed to convert
any to their advantage and took the set to a tie-breaker. The German Austrian tandem edged over the Bryans in it to clinch the opener with a 7-6(9) score line.
Regardless of clobbering a slightly lower first serve share of 70 percent as compared to their opponents’ 72 percent, they registered an acceptable 68 percent win on it.
Both teams carried their momentum into the second set and hold tightly onto their serves to drag the second set to a tie-breaker. The Bryans, however, tackled with a different strategy this time around and triumphed over the lower
ranked team with a 7-6(4) win.
They manipulated an equal first serve share of 59 percent and registered a fabulous 78 percent win on it. In addition to this, the Americans sought two breakpoint opportunities but squandered them.
In the Super tie-breaker, both teams were equally matched fished out easy points on their serves. However, the American duo formulated a magnificent first serve share of 70 percent as opposed to their opponents’ 50 percent and
earned a perfect win on it. As a result, Bryans sealed the decider with a 11-9 success.
Next up for the seeds is the Austrian Spaniard team of Oliver Marach and David Marrero.
The high spirited Marach and Marrero combination brushed off Americans Scott Lipsky and Rajeev Ram with a breadstick to reach this spot. They saved four out of five breakpoints faced and converted three out of seven breakpoint
opportunities to their advantage to seal the deal with a 7-6(7), 6-1 score line.
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