Nieminen, Darcis, Anderson advance; Bopanna/ Qureshi enter last four – Erste Bank Open 2011: Day 3
On Wednesday, October 26, 2011, singles and doubles action at the 2011 Erste Bank Open continued. In the first round matches in men’s singles division, Robin Haase (Netherlands) was beaten by Jarkko Nieminen (Finland). Haase started
the game with an impressive run with the shots as the first set reached a tiebreaker though he failed to close it out with a set victory. Haase delivered twelve aces in total as compared to the two delivered by Nieminen, however, the 62 ranked Finn won the
match 7-6, 6-4.
In the second match of the first round, Nikolay Davydenko (Russia) lost to Steve Darcis (Belgium). The world number 95 Belgian lost the first set 3-6 but came back strong by winning the second set 6-0. In the third set the Russian,
ranked at 38 in the world, received some heavy counter attack from the twenty-seven year old Darcis as the Russian did all in his power to edge himself into the next round but it was Darcis who won the match, 6-3, 0-6, 7-6 (2).
In the second round matches, Kevin Anderson (Russia) defeated Marcos Baghdatis (Cyprus) 6-2, 7-6 (5). Kevin Anderson was in the lead from the first set, which he won 6-2. The Russian dominated the Cyprus with his shot selection
and fast serves. In the second set, the Cypriot was closing in for his victory but the Russian made sure that he was the one advancing into the next round after he won the second set tiebreaker.
In another second round match, Philipp Petzschner (Germany) lost to Juan Martin Del Porto (Argentina) 6-3, 6-4. The world 15th ranked Del Porto won in straight sets over his German opponent who saved all of his break points.
In the men’s doubles first round matches, Oliver Marach (Austria) and David Marrero (Spain) defeated the US team of Scott Lipsky and Rajeev Ram, 7-6, 6-1. In another match, Polish team of Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski
defeated Juan Ignacio Chela (Argentina) and Andre Rezende Sa (Brazil), 7-6 (5), 6-2, 10-6. The team of Fyrstenberg and Matkowski, ranked at eighth place in doubles division, cruised into the quarterfinals of the tournament. Their South American opponents,
ranked at 233 in the world were unable to secure their place into the quarterfinals.
The team from the sub-continent of Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi (Pakistan) and Rohan Bopanna (India) defeated the Brazilian team of Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares, 6-2, 6-7 (1), 10-4. The Indo-Pak Express has been on a great run together
having recently won the 2011 Stockholm Open by defeating the same Brazilian duo.
In another first round doubles match, Juan Martin Del Potro with his partner Radek Stepanek defeated Jurgen Melzer (Austria) and Philipp Petzschner (Germany) in straight-sets 6-4, 6-2. In the men’s doubles quarterfinal, Max Mirnyi
(Belarus) and Daniel Mark Nestor (Canada) defeated the Italian team of Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini to make their way into the semi finals of the 2011 Erste Open.
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