Llodra/Zimonjic edge past Fyrstenberg/Matkowski into the last four – Rogers Cup 2011
Fourth seeds Michael Llodra of France and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia bounced back after losing the first set to battle past Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski of Poland 3-6, 6-3, 11-9 in the quarterfinals at the Rogers Cup
in Montreal on Friday. The French/Serbian duo took one hour and fourteen minutes to beat their opponents in a tough match.
Fyrstenberg and Matkowski came roaring into the match and took the lead straightaway as they broke the French/Serbian pair in the second and fourth game of the first set and held their three service games to blaze forward to a
5-0 lead. Llodra and Zimonjic tried to come back into the set as they claimed three consecutive games after that, breaking the Polish team in the seventh game to reduce the deficit to 3-5. However, they could not pull the second break back, losing their opponents’
serve in the ninth game to go down 3-6.
The Poles bombarded 64 percent of the first serves and seven aces in the first set. Fyrstenberg and Matkowski sealed thirteen of the eighteen first service points. In comparison, Llodra and Zimonjic had the same first serve percentage
as their opponents but they managed to win just nine of the fourteen points on the first serve in the opening set. The French/Serbian combination delivered only one ace and bagged just three of the eight second service points in the first set.
Llodra and Zimonjic bounced back in style as they broke the Polish team in the fourth game of the second set and held their serve in the next game to grab a 3-1 lead. The French/Serbian pair maintained the lead throughout the set
and served it out at 5-3.
The third ranked team delivered 58 percent of the first serves and two aces in the second set. Llodra and Zimonjic converted thirteen of the fifteen first serves into points in the second set. The French/Serbian pair could not
return that well as they sealed just two of the eleven first return points but they managed to capitalise on one of the three break point opportunities they created on Fyrstenberg and Matkowski’s serve in the second set.
Llodra and Zimonjic claimed a mini-break in the match tie-break to take a 9-6 lead. Fyrstenberg and Matkowski bounced back to equalise the score at 9-9. However, the French/Serbian duo clinched two successive points to win the
match tie-break 11-9.
Llodra and Zimonjic will take on second seeded Belarusian/Canadian pair of Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor in the semi-finals.
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