Feliciano Lopez, Carlos Berlocq enter the last eight – US Men’s Clay Court Championship 2012
Feliciano Lopez beats Paolo Lorenzi 6-4, 7-6(4)
Third seed, Feliciano Lopez of Spain, prevailed over world number 96, Paolo Lorenzi, in straight sets 6-4, 7-6(4), in the second round at the US Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston on Wednesday.
Lorenzi was first to take lead, as he struck in the second game of the opener to hold a 2-0 advantage. Lopez pulled it back immediately but he was broken again to trail 1-3. Lorenzi stretched his lead to 4-1 but he was unable to
win even a single game after that, losing it 4-6.
Just like the first set, the Italian broke Lopez in the second game to attain a 2-0 lead but this time the Spaniard grabbed next two, levelling the score at 2-2. Both players held their serve in the next eight games to take the
score to 6-6, forcing a tie-breaker. Lopez built a 3-0 lead and increased it to 5-1, capitalising on that to win 7-6(4).
It seemed like the Spaniard was not playing at a clay court, the slowest surface, as he pounded 13 aces and secured 28 of the 38 points on the first serve in the match. Lopez required an hour and 57 minutes to beat the Italian.
Ranked 15th in the world, the Spaniard is pitted against Carlos Berlocq in the quarter-finals.
Carlos Berlocq defeats Bjorn Phau 6-1, 6-0
Seeded sixth in the draw, Carlos Berlocq of Argentina made short work of his opponent, crushing German, Bjorn Phau, in straight sets 6-1, 6-0 to move to the last eight.
Berlocq made a brilliant start to the match, dropping only one game in the first set and sealing it 6-1.
The Argentinean served outstandingly, as he banged in a couple of aces and 78 percent of the first deliveries, converting 10 of the 14 of them into points in the opener. He stunned his opponent by pocketing nine of the 11 second
return points.
Berlocq was almost flawless in the second set, as he did not lose even a single game, breaking Phau three times and capturing six games in a row to bagel it 6-0.
The 29-year-old did an extra ordinary job on the first serves and second returns, clinching 10 of the 11 and eight of the 10 points on them respectively. The Argentinean did not give any break opportunity to Phau and utilised three
of the five of his own in the second set.
It took the 6ft tall only an hour to come out victorious from the contest.
Berlocq will be locking horns with Lopez for the second time in his career.
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