Granollers/Lopez prevail over Mertinak/Moser in quarter-finals – Credit Agricole Suisse Open 2012
Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez of Spain continued their impressive run in this season, winning in straight sets 7-5, 6-2 against Slovakian-German duo of Michal Mertinak and Frank Moser in the quarter-finals of the Credit Agricole
Suisse Open in Gstaad.
The Spaniards are ranked as the sixth best doubles team in the world in this year. They played their first match together during their country’s Davis Cup tie against Kazakhstan earlier in this year, beating Evgeny Korolev and
Yuri Schukin in straight sets 6-2, 6-3, 6-1. Since then, Granollers and Lopez have captured one title and ended three tournaments as runner-ups.
The right-handers lost to countrymen, David Marrero and Fernando Verdasco, in straight sets 3-6, 4-6 in the title match of Abierto Mexicano Telcel. Then they went down against the Polish tandem of Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin
Matkowski in the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell final. Granollers and Lopez defeated Lukasz Kubot and Janko Tipsarevic in straight sets 6-3, 6-2 to win the Internazionali BNL d’Italia crown. Playing their last event before this tournament, the Spaniards lost
against Marrero and Verdasco in the Croatia Open final.
Talking about the recent contest, Granollers/Lopez and Mertinak/Moser won their serve in the first four games to take the score to 2-2. The Spanish duo hit a blow to their opponents in the fifth and consolidated on it to gain a
4-2 lead. Granollers and Lopez failed to serve out the set in the 10th game, levelling the proceedings at 5-5 but they grabbed two back to back after that, winning it 7-5.
In the second set, both teams began by holding their serve in the opening two games to level the proceedings at 1-1. Granollers and Lopez struck in the third and fifth ones, consolidating on the double advantage to take a 5-1 lead.
Mertinak and Moser won their serve in the seventh to reduce the trail to 2-5 but that was all for them, as they went down in the next one to lose 2-6.
The Spanish pair neither hit an ace nor committed any double fault throughout the match, delivering 61 percent of the first serves and converting 20 of the 30 of them into points.
It took Granollers and Lopez just an hour and 14 minutes to down their opponents.
The Spanish duo will face the Brazilian-German team of Thomaz Bellucci and Michael Kohlmann in the semis. Bellucci and Kohlman beat Paul Hanley and Julian Knowle in the quarter-finals.
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