Marc Gicquel edges past Stephane Robert into the semi-finals – BNP Paribas Polish Open 2011 CH
French Marc Gicquel, ranked 112th in the world, came back from a deficit of one set to overcome world number 107, compatriot Stephane Robert in three sets 4-6, 7-6(6), 7-6(4) in the quarterfinals at the BNP Paribas Polish
Open in Sopot, Poland on Friday. The marathon match lasted for two hours and 37 minutes.
Robert got off to a good start as he broke Gicquel in the third game of the opening set and held his next service game to grab a 3-1 lead. Gicquel broke back in the eighth game to square off the score at 4-4. Robert claimed the
decisive break in the ninth game, serving out the set in the next game and clinching it 6-4.
The French had a low first serve percentage as he delivered a meagre 48 percent of the first serves in the first set. The 31-year-old fired two aces and hit the same number of double faults. However, Robert made the difference
with his first serve and first return conversion rate as he won a whopping 85 percent of the first service points and 46 percent of the first return points in the opening set.
Robert and Gicquel exchanged double break of serve in the second set and equalised the score at 6-6 to take the set to a tie-break. Gicquel grabbed a late mini-break in the tie-break and won it 8-6.
The 34-year-old did not serve up to the mark, hitting just 53 percent of the first serves and committing one double fault. Gicquel could not hit any ace in the second set. The French, however, managed to win nineteen of the 27
first service points and eleven of the 27 first return points in the second set. The six feet and two inches tall saved four of the six break points he faced and capitalised on two of the eight break points on his countryman’s serve in the second set.
After losing the second set with closest of margins, Robert made a good start in the final set, breaking his opponent in the second game and holding his serve in the next game to grab a 3-0 lead. However, the French failed to carry
on the momentum as he lost six of the next nine games to equalise the score at 6-6 and force a tie-break. The right-handed bagged a couple of mini-breaks in the tie-break and clinched it 7-4.
Gicquel is slated to play world number 177 Nikola Ciric of Serbia in the semi-finals.
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