Janko Tipsarevic ousts Nikolay Davydenko in semi-final – Kremlin Cup 2011
Janko Tipsarevic, Serbian World No.14 and the top seed for Kremlin Cup 2011, outgunned former world No.3, Nikolay Davydenko, Russian, beating him 6-2, 7-5 in an hour and 38 minutes semi-final match at the Olympic Stadium in Moscow,
Russia on Saturday, 22nd October.
Aged 30, the veteran Russian had to put up a greater effort to outlast the higher ranked Serbian. Unable to undo the Serbian, Davydenko had a hard fall in the semi-final match of the ATP World Tour 250 event. Prior to this fixture,
the two played 3 fixtures with Nikolay Davydenko leading the head-to-head 2 games to one.
Meeting up again after 4 years, at the same spot, semi-final Kremlin Cup, Tipsarevic revenged his loss back in 2007. Winning the toss, the Russian former world No.3 went on serving first, however, could not break the rock solid
Serbian defence.
Breaking Davydenko, Tipsarevic took out two straight games to lead the set, 2-0. Cutting down the lead, Russian Veteran served out game 3 and broke his competitor in game 4 to level up the scores, 2-2. Serbian replied back with
a break-n-serve win next to lead the set 4-2.
With just two more wins to bag the set, Tipsarevic repeated the break-n-serve tactic ending the set with a double game point win, 6-2, and moved on to play the second set.
Struggling through the first, Davydenko tried his luck in set 2 as he served out the opening game and took the lead, 1-0. Levelling up instantly Tipsarevic replied with a winner and switched the serve back, 1-1. Winning away games
on respective serves, both levelled up at 2-2, 3-3 and on 4-4.
Unable to break each other, the two won a game each to level up again at 5-5 before the tables turned. Serving out game 10, Tipsarevic broke world No. 38, 6-5, game 11, and served out game 12, finishing off with an easy cross-court
winner to win the tie, straight sets, and into the final round of the ATP World Tour 250 event.
Through to the final round of Kremlin Cup, Serbian will now play the reigning champion, Victor Troicki, seeded second, as the two cut it down to one last battle of the champions to decide either the champion retains his title or
there will be a new winner.
Predictably, Troicki might get away with it. Tipsarevic has been struggling throughout his previous matches. Seeded second, the lower ranked Serbian is faster and has already been at this spot putting Tipsarevic under a lot of
pressure.
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