Igor Andreev stuns Denis Istomin to reach quarters – Grand Prix Hassan II 2012
Russian contender, Igor Andreev, upset the Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin in a three set nail-biter at the Grand Prix Hassan II 2012 on Wednesday. He nudged up a 6-7(3), 6-3, 6-2 victory against the Uzbekistani number one to secure a spot in the final eight
at this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 series event held in Morocco.
The underdog showed brilliant skills and agility to oust the world number 42 in two hours and 16 minutes at the Complexe Al Amal. Encountering each other for the first time, Andreev not only edged in the FedEx ATP Head 2 Head series by 1-0 against the Uzbek
and powered into the quarter-finals.
The 25-year-old blasted into this clay court event and after earning the coveted break in the second game, he jumped to a 3-0 lead. He lost his edge in the fifth game but remained calm and dragged the set to the tie-breaker. Istomin cruised to a 5-1 lead
in it before pulling out the opener with a 7-6(3) score line.
Ranked 100th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Andreev found his rhythm in the proceeding set. He convincingly swiped in his entire serves after dusting away all five breakpoints he faced. The Russian got the breakthrough in
the fourth game and sealed the equaliser with a 6-3 win.
The lower ranked challenger carried his winning ways in the final set and held his opening serve to level the scores at 1-1. After Istomin slid his serve in the third game, the Russian unleashed barrage of groundstrokes and wiped out the following five games
in a row. He kept his entire serves without facing any blockage and capitalised on two out of three break chances to pocket the decider by winning six games to two.
Overall, Andreev spilled more double faults but magnificently clicked 44 out of 62 points on it. He sought 10 break opportunities and availed four of them to earn the fame.
Next in line for Andreev is the Spanish contestant, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, who stomped over the former world number 12, Paul-Henri Mathieu, in straight sets to reach this spot.
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