Frederico Gil, Evgeny Donskoy move into the quarterfinal – Sparkassen Open 2011 CH
While the tennis elite battle it out in the grass Grand Slam, the 2011 Wimbledon Championship, the lower ranked individuals continue hitting the courts as they participate in the 2011 Sparkassen Open on the ATP Challenger Tour
in Braunschweig, Germany.
In his second round matchup, the fourth seeded Portuguese Frederico Gil bounced back from one set down to do away with Chilean qualifier Julio Peralta in three sets.
Gil toiled for almost two hours and twenty three minutes to secure a 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 victory against the Chilean.
Starting the first set on an even footing, Gil and Peralta matched blow for blow as they kept the scoreboard ticking on even terms. Although both players managed break opportunities, the equal number kept the end score tied throughout
the set, forcing a tiebreaker. Even in the tiebreaker, both players followed closely at each other’s heels, keeping the score levelled for ten points. Striking a powerful ace at 6-5, Peralta closed the tiebreaker at 7-5 going one up in the set score.
Peralta clinched a total of 45 of 88 points in the first set, only two more than the Portuguese. However, those two points made all the difference as he led the set score.
The Chilean’s lead was short-lived as Gil found his footing in the second set, dominating from the very start. Converting three of six break points to his advantage, Gil established a firm lead in the second set before serving
it out in the eighth game to clinch a 6-2 win, levelling the set score.
With a set a piece, the match entered the decider. Once more the pair was locked in a neck to neck run. The pair exchanged a break opportunity early on in the set, though the score remained tied for eight games. Riding another
lucky break in the ninth game, Gil closed out the set at 6-4 and ensured his survival at the event.
The Portuguese now moves on ahead to play Russian qualifier Evgeny Donskoy in the quarterfinal match here.
Donskoy moved into the quarterfinal after upsetting eighth seeded Turkish Marsel Ilhan in a straight, yet not so simple, sets victory. The Russian took nearly two hours to secure a 7-6(4), 6-4 victory against his seeded opponent.
Hitting four marvellous aces to Ilhan’s one, the Russian registered an impressive 76 percent win on his first serve taking a total of 91 of 170 points in the match. A poor offensive player, Donskoy managed to convert only three
of eleven break points to his advantage, though these three made the difference.
Tags: