Grega Zemlja shocks Tommy Haas in the quarter-finals – Erste Bank Open 2012
Third seeded, Tommy Haas, received a three-set shocker at the hands of the Slovenian underdog, Grega Zemlja, in the quarter-finals of the Erste Bank Open held at the hard courts of Vienna, Austria. The junior displayed his superior
run of form and nudged forward to pen down a 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 win on the eve of Friday in approximately one hour and 52 minutes.
After the match, the Slovenian talked to the media and said, “I went into the match to win it. I think most of the time that makes a difference. I felt really well from the beginning. I had a good feeling on the court. I was trying
to imagine myself like I was playing any other match. I had some problems with the serve, but I don’t think he was serving his best either, especially in the third set. I was trying to play more through the middle to his forehand. He started making some mistakes.
I played a good point on the break point, and after that I really found my serve.”
Both the players have a sloppy beginning in the opening set, as they were unable to hold their serves. In the initial part, the German professional proved to be equally challenging to his rival and the score line levelled down
twice to 2-all in the fourth and 3-all in the sixth game respectively. However, the Slovenian professional took a flying start, dissolving his rival’s serve in the seventh game and did not bestow his opponent a single chance to score a point. He powerfully
served with strong resolve to defeat his German senior and terminated the opener with a 6-4 score line.
In the second set, the 34-year-old German participant manifested his greater experience by holding his initial serve. He jumped forward to clinch the initial four games without facing any resistance, marking a 4-love lead. Zemlja
responded by cashing his challenger’s serve twice i.e. in the fifth and seventh game respectively, but was unable to sustain his momentum. The German veteran confidently reeled off consecutive games towards the end and smartly jolted down a 6-4 lead in the
end.
In the final set, Haas lost his former momentum and the 26-year-old Slovenian turned the tables on him. Although the score line levelled down to 2-all in the fourth game, Zemlja edged past without facing any challenge and closed
the set with a 6-2 win.
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