Hajek/Minar beat Ebelthite/Satschko in the quarterfinals – BNP Paribas Polish Open 2011 CH
Jan Hajek and Ivo Minar of Czech Republic fought back after losing the first set to defeat Australian/German pair of Colin Ebelthite and Alex Satschko in three sets 4-6, 6-3, 10-7 in the quarterfinals at the BNP Paribas Polish
Open in Sopot on Thursday. The Czechs took an hour and twenty minutes to overcome their opponents in a tough contest.
Ebelthite and Satschko took an early lead as they broke the Czechs in the third game, consolidating on it to take a 3-1 lead. Hajek and Minar broke back in the eighth game and levelled the score at 4-4. The Australian/German team
broke again in the very next game and capitalised on it to clinch the set 6-4.
Ebelthite and Satschko hit 83 percent of the first serves and two aces in the first set. The Australian/German duo sealed 60 percent of the first service points and the same percentage of second service points in the first set.
The unseeded team converted two of the six break points on Hajek and Minar’s serve and saved two of the three break points on their own serve in the opening set.
Hajek/Minar and Australian/German combination held their serve in the first five games of the second set, taking the score to 3-2 in favour of the former. The Czech team broke Ebelthite and Satschko in the sixth game and held their
serve in the next game to grab a 5-2 lead. Hajek and Minar served out the second set at 5-3.
The Czechs captured 69 percent of the first service points and 35 percent of the first return points in the second set. Hajek and Minar hit one ace and the same number of double faults in the second set. The Czechs capitalised
on one of the six break point opportunities they created on Ebelthite and Satschko’s serve and did not face any break point on their own serve in the second set.
After the score getting tied a one set apiece, the match was forced into a super tie-break. Hajek and Minar claimed a single mini-break in the match tie-break, sealing it 10-7.
The Czechs kept their first serve percentage at 75 percent and delivered one ace in the match tie-break. They converted four of the six first serves and three of the seven first returns into points in the match tie-break.
Hajek and Minar are slated to face Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski of Poland in the semi-finals. The top seeds thrashed Rameez Junaid and Sadik Kadir of Australia in straight sets 6-1, 6-3 in the quarterfinals.
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