Lukas Lacko shocks Robin Haase in the quarter-finals – PBZ Zagreb Indoors 2012
Slovakian contender, Lukas Lacko, stunned the Dutch number one, Robin Haase, in straight sets at the PBZ Zagreb Indoors 2012 on Friday. He jolted down a 6-4, 6-4 victory over the high flying Dutch to secure a place in the final four at this hard court tournament
scheduled from January 28th to February 5th at the Dom Sportova in Zagreb, Croatia.
The Slovak showed tremendous skills to outmuscle the Dutch, ranked 62nd in the South African Airways ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Rankings, in 69 minutes. Battling each other for the first time, Lacko not only took the lead
in the FedEx ATP Head2Head series by 1-0 but also inched closer to grab his maiden ATP career title.
The 24-year-old assertively entered the Croatian hard courts and drew the first blood in the third game to take the lead at 2-1. Later, he dusted away both breakpoints he faced and kept entire serves, eventually clinching the opener with a 6-4 score line.
Lacko kept momentum running into the following set and quickly went 5-2 up with two breaks of serve. Apart from losing his serve in the eighth game, the Slovak held his serve again in the last game and sealed the set by winning six games to four.
All in all, the Slovak coughed fewer errors and no double faults. He manipulated a better first serve share of 67 percent and tremendously clicked 32 out of 38 points on it. Lacko also displayed brilliant defensive skills in this match as he saved four out
of five breakpoints he came across.
Next challenge for the Slovak is the sixth seed, Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus, who upset the defending champion, Ivan Dodig, in straight sets to book this place.
Another casualty of the day was the Austrian number one, Jurgen Melzer, who was ousted by the German star, Michael Berrer.
"I knew it’d be a very difficult match and I’d have to play on top," Berrer commented about his amazing victory over the former world number eight. "In the beginning I was 1-4 down and I felt like, I’m playing not bad, but he’s just too good. But then I
got a little bit more offensive, tried to get him away from the baseline, pushed him back a little bit, and then I went to chip and charge returns. I was able to put him down a little bit."
The German on the other hand booked a final four spot where he will confront the third seed, Mikhail Youzhny.
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