Mikhail Youzhny dumps Michael Berrer to reach the final – PBZ Zagreb Indoors 2012
Third seed Russian veteran, Mikhail Youzhny, eased past the 105th ranked German competitor, Michael Berrer, in the semi-final encounter of the PBZ Zagreb Indoors tournament on Saturday. The world number 39 registered
a straight-sets victory over Berrer, 6-3, 6-4, taking just one hour and 28 minutes of play to earn a title shot in the final of the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250-level event.
It was a pretty one-sided contest, with Youzhny dominating for most of the time. The 29-year-old finally avenged his defeat from Berrer, who outplayed him 7-5, 6-4, in 2007 in his home town, Moscow. Youzhny repaid the debt this
time round to secure a place in the final and have a shot at his eighth championship title.
Berrer has been in a terrific form throughout the tournament, annihilating all the opponents he faced en route to the semi-final. He produced an absolute stunner in the second round, when he defeated the top seed home favourite,
Ivan Ljubicic, in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4 and then went on to dispose of the former world number seven, Jurgen Melzer, in the quarter-finals. Berrer’s dream run was finally halted by an exquisite performance from the third seed Youzhny, who bettered him in
every segment of the game to register a much needed victory.
A steady start was witnessed in the first set, with both men holding their respective serves in the opening seven games. Youzhny drew first blood in the eighth game, breaking into a 5-3 lead and held his serve in the next game
to seal the first set at 6-3.
The third seed Russian kept with his winning ways in the following set and broke the German’s serve in the third game, only to be broken in the very next game to fall back. Berrer kept trying to make his way back in the match but
a cracking break of serve in the ninth game crushed all his hopes in the contest, with the Russian concluding victory at 6-4.
Youzhny will square off against the surprise finalist, Lukas Lacko from Slovakia, in the title round match on Sunday. the 97th ranked Lacko stunned sixth seed Cypriot, Marcos Baghdatis, in an exciting two-setter semi-final
clash, 7-5, 7-6(3), to book a date with the third seed Russian in the final of the PBZ Zagreb Indoors. The Slovenian underdog will be fighting for his maiden ATP championship title on Sunday, while Youzhny will be labouring hard to improve his rankings with
an emphatic victory.
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