Ivo Minar defeats Marsel Ilhan to book a semi-final place at the 2011 Rai Open
Ivo Minar secured a thumping 6-3, 6-4 victory over number three seed Marsel Ilhan on Friday to book a semi-final berth at the 2011 Rai Open in Rome.
Minar made an aggressive start to the match and dominated his opponent right till the end with some crafty tennis. In the opening set, Minar made his first serve break with a wonderful backhand winner to lead the set by 3-1.
The Czech tennis pro had another chance to break the serve in the seventh game of the set. Minar successfully converted a long rally in his favour to earn a 5-3 lead in the set. He then held on to his next serve game to claim the opener 6-3.
The second set was also played on a similar note. Minar continued to pressurise his opponent with his strong ground strokes and clever spin shots. An early break of serve allowed Minar to play his natural game with freedom as he executed his shots to perfection.
Minar looked to attack at all times during the contest and created many match-winning opportunities. He took the second set 6-4 to make it through to the semi-finals of the ATP Challengers tournament.
Minar’s serve was his real asset as he fired 7 aces in the match and achieved an impressive 76 per cent first serve conversion rate. The Czech achieved a perfect balance between attack and defence as he made the challenger run for his money. In the post
match interview, he expressed his delight at reaching his second ATP Challengers semi-final of 2011.
The year has proved to quite a decent one for the world number 130 Minar. He has been defeated only twice in his last ten matches at the Challengers Tour.
The 26-year-old Czech claimed his first title of the season at Rabat thrashing Peter Luczak in the final 7-5, 6-3. He then gave considerable results at the Marrakech Open and Barletta Open as well. He will be hoping to maintain his good form in the important
semi-final match on Sunday.
Ilhan on the other hand wasted some of the chances that came his way. He had a golden opportunity to break back in the second but missed three successive break points as the match ended in straight sets.
The Turk had defeated Bastian Knittel and Victor Crivoi in his first two matches at the tournament and was hopeful for similar results in his quarterfinal clash against the Czech tennis pro. However, a loss in concentration and focus resulted in a disaster
for him as he was dispatched after only 57 minutes of play.
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