Martin Klizan ousts Ivo Minar to advance to semi-finals at 2011 Rai Open
Martin Klizan staged another amazing fight back at the red clay courts as he defeated Czech Ivo Minar 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 to reach the finals at the 2011 Rai Open.
Klizan, who was having a terrible time on the tour since the start of the season, has shown remarkable character and mental ability to regain his form at the Association of Tennis Professionals event in Rome.
The 21-year-old was knocked out by Ivo Minar 6-4, 6-2 in the second round of his first tournament of the year in Rabat. He then made his next ATP appearance at the Marrakech Open where he experienced another second round loss at the hands of Czech Jan Hajek
6-3, 6-4. At the 2011 Casablanca, he was overwhelmed by Spanish Sergio Gutierrez-Ferrol. However, the Slovakian tennis pro proved the critics wrong as he marched into his first ATP final of the year.
With his win, Klizan also avenged his defeat against Minar he suffered earlier this year. He now leads the head-to-head record against Minar 2-1.
Ranked 171 in the world, Klizan has pulled out some spectacular victories recently. He started the match on a poor note and committed a large number of unforced errors within the first half an hour. Minar took complete advantage of his opponent’s critical
mistakes and soon found himself in a very strong position in the contest. The Czech tennis pro converted a long rally in his favour to claim the first set 6-3.
In the second set, Klizan looked to assert dominance over his opponent right from the first game. He broke the serve in second game of the set and then held on to his serve games to level the set score 1-1. Klizan used his powerful serve to great effect
and earned crucial points as serve aces.
Having put his opponent under extreme pressure, Klizan continued to play his natural game freely in the final set. He converted most of the chances that came his way and completely outclassed Minar with two serve breaks in the set.
Considering his recent efforts on the court, Klizan is a strong contender to lift the 2011 Rai Open title.
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