Melo/Soares battles past Kubot/Stepanek into semi-final – Tokyo Open 2011
Brazilians, Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares battled past the Pole Czech tandem of Lukasz Kubot and Radek Stepanek in brutal three sets at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships 2011, an ATP World Tour 500 series event taking
place on the outdoor hard courts in Tokyo, Japan. They registered a 7-6(5), 6-7(5), 10-3 victory over their fellow unseeded rivals to advance into the last four on Friday.
Coming off from upsetting the top seeded Indo Pak Express of Rohan Bopanna and Pakistani Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, the Brazilians perfected their co-ordination in the super tie-breaker to overpower Kubot and Stepanek in two hours.
Ranked 11th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour doubles rankings; Melo and Soares took the first blood to go 2-0 up. Despite losing their serve in the proceeding game, they inched towards the victory after breaking
their rivals’ serve in the fourth and the eighth game. However, they failed to ward off three out of six breakpoints faced and dragged the set to a tie-breaker. Melo and Soares played exceptionally well in it and eventually clinched the opener with a 7-6(5)
win.
The Brazilians formulated a lower first serve share of 60 percent as compared to Kubot and Stepanek’s 66 percent but earned a convincing 58 percent win on it. They also founded seven breakpoint opportunities of which they converted
three to their advantage.
The Polish Czech duo carried their losing momentum in the final set as they lost an early serve in the third game to go 2-1 down. However, the high spirited tandem roared back by snatching the break back in the very next game and
then plucked in remaining serves to extend the set to a tie-breaker. Kubot and Stepanek moved the Brazilians all over the court to seal the equaliser with a 7-6(5) score line.
They produced a higher first serve share of 78 percent as compared to their opponents’ 68 percent and registered an impressive 65 percent win on it. Furthermore, the in-form Pole Czech team saved one out of five breakpoints faced
and converted one out of three breakpoint chances to their advantage.
In the final set or the super tie-breaker, the Brazilians lifted their game to clobber an amazing first serve share of 86 percent as compared to the Polish Czech pair’s 67 percent. They also registered a magnificent 67 percent
win on it to clinch the decider by winning ten points to three.
Up next for the Brazilians is the fourth seeded pair of Czech Frantisek Cermak and Slovak Filip Polasek.
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