Michael Llodra prevails over Sam Querrey to reach last four – BNP Paribas Masters 2012
French wild card entrant, Michael Llodra, moved one step closer to winning his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title, as he beat the world number 23, Sam Querrey of USA, in straight sets 7-6(4), 6-3 in the quarter-finals of the
BNP Paribas Masters in Paris.
The French player required one hour and 19 minutes to claim victory in an evenly contested match.
Llodra and Querrey held their serve in the first four games to square off the score at 2-2. The French contender hit a blow to the American player in the fifth to take a 3-2 lead but he could not consolidate on it, losing his following
serve to level it at 3-3. The second half of the opening set went with serves, taking the proceedings to 6-6 and forcing a tie-breaker. Llodra made a good start, as he took a 3-0 lead and then maintained it till the end to win 7-6(4).
Carrying the winning momentum into second set, Llodra clinched opening three games to race to a 3-0 advantage. The Frenchman made sure that Querrey could not stage a comeback, as he held all of his serves to seal it 6-3.
Llodra served amazingly well, bombarding a total of 13 aces on his rival and securing 38 of the 47 points on the first deliveries in the match. The French veteran also fared pretty well on the second deliveries and returns, grabbing
14 of the 23 and 16 of the 31 points on them.
Talking to the reporters after the match, Llodra said, “I have been audacious and it worked. I love this tournament and the crowd (is) always a big help.”
Querrey said that he was unable to respond well to the top quality serve and volleys of Llodra. The American stated, “It wasn’t just that facing someone who serves and volley all the time is very unusual but the fact that he served
so well all through. He got so much pace and slice that it was very difficult to return. And he was so sharp at the net, picking up some unbelievable volleys.”
Llodra will face the fourth seeded Spaniard, David Ferrer, in the semi-finals of this event.
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