Mikhail Youzhny outlasts Denis Istomin to reach the quarter-final – Wimbledon Championships 2012
Seeded 26th in the draw, Mikhail Youzhny of Russia demonstrated his top fighting qualities, as he overcame the spirited Uzbek, Denis Istomin, in five sets 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 6-7(5), 7-5 in the fourth round at the Wimbledon
Championships on Monday.
This was for the seventh time that Youzhny had reached the fourth round of Wimbledon, managing to reach the last eight for the first time in his career at the All England Club.
The Russian hit the first blow, breaking Istomin in the sixth game and capitalising on that to capture it 6-3.
In the second set, both players broke each other once in the opening 10 games to square it off at 5-5. The Uzbek contestant grabbed a break again in the 12th to win 7-5.
Youzhny struck in the third game of the third set and held his following serve to move ahead 3-1. The Russian maintained his lead till the end and closed it 6-4.
None of the two players was able to break other throughout the fourth set, taking the score to 6-6 and forcing a tie-breaker. Istomin grabbed two successive points at the end to triumph 7-6(5).
Youzhny and Istomin exchanged a single break of serve in the first 10 games of the decider to equalise the proceedings at 5-5. The Russian hit the decisive blow in the 11th one and capitalised on that to grab it 7-5.
It took Youzhny four hours and 16 minutes to overpower his Uzbek opponent in a marathon match.
Giving an interview after the match, the Russian said, “It was a really tough match for me against Denis, because he played really well. He played consistently, I think, all five sets and he served well. So for me, it was very,
very tough match.”
Youzhny is drawn to face six-time former champion, Roger Federer, in the quarter-finals. The Russian has never succeeded in beating Federer in their 13 previous meetings.
He said, commenting on his coming encounter with the Swiss Maestro, “It’s good for me to have one more chance against a great player. We cannot compare Istomin and Federer. Denis sometimes plays well but he helps you in some moments.
Roger never helps me.”
On the other hand, Federer said, on playing Youzhny, “We've played a lot on grass. We know what to expect, both of us. I think he's a great player. He can take the ball early. He can mix it up well. He's a great fighter.”
Their last meeting was also on grass courts just a couple of weeks back, when Federer defeated the Russian in straight sets 6-1, 6-4 in the semi-finals of Gerry Weber Open.
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