Juan Carlos Ferrero dumps Carlos Berlocq to reach the semis – Studena Croatia Open 2011
Defending champion Juan Carlos Ferrero warded off late resistance against Argentinean Carlos Berlocq to earn a straight set victory at the Studena Croatia Open 2011, a clay court tournament taking place in Umag, Croatia. He registered
a 6-1, 7-6(5) victory over the 28-year-old Argentinean to secure a last four spot on Friday.
Ferrero re-kindled his 2003 spark, when he was the world number one, at Stella Maris to dump the world number 83, Berlocq with a breadstick on their third meeting. Ferrero levelled the head-to-head series after winning in straight
sets at Costa Do Sauipe, Brazil last year. However, after earning this success in one hour and twenty-three minutes, Ferrero not only advanced into the semi-finals but also took lead in the head-to-head series by 2-1.
Currently ranked at 73rd in the South African Airways ATP World Tour rankings, Ferrero got the most desired break in the very first game and held his opening serve to take a 2-0 lead. After the Argentinean held serve
in the third game, he unleashed barrage of groundstrokes to wipe out last four games in a row and registered a breadstick. The Spaniard clobbered an amazing first serve share of 71 percent as compared to Berlocq’s 53 percent and earned an impressive 75 percent
win on it.
Ferrero made quick in-roads in the final set as well. Despite exchanging a break early on, he broke the Argentinean’s serve two more times to take a 5-1 lead. However, he squandered the opportunity of earning another breadstick
and gifted away another winning chance in the ninth game. After the Game was levelled at 5-5, Ferrero lost his serve and was on the brink of losing the set when he broke back with his amazing backhand slices to drag the set to a tie-breaker. The Spaniard prevailed
in it to bag the set with a 7-6(5) score line.
31-year-old produced an equal first serve share of 72 percent and broke Berlocq’s serve four times. However, he saved only two out of six breakpoints faced and extended the set to a tie-breaker.
Up next for the Spaniard is second seeded Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov who trashed Ferrero’s compatriot Albert Ramos in straight sets to reach this spot.
The seed saved half breakpoints faced but capitalised on 60 percent of breakpoint chances to his advantage to seal the set with a 6-3, 7-5 score line one hour and twenty-five minutes later that day. Dolgopolov clobbered a drastic
first serve share of 40 percent as compared to Ramos’ 70 percent but slammed five ferocious aces to edge past the Spaniard.
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