Paul-Henri Mathieu stuns Stanislas Wawrinka to enter quarters – Credit Agricole Suisse Open 2012
Former world number 12, Paul-Henri Mathieu, upset the local seed, Stanislas Wawrinka, in two sets’ tie-breaker at the Credit Agricole Suisse Open 2012 on Wednesday. He juggled up a 7-6(3), 7-6(8) victory against the world number 25 to secure a place in the
final eight at this outdoor clay court tournament taking place in Gstaad, Switzerland.
Mathieu, who is recovering from a knee injury, re-ignited his old spark and stomped over the third seed in their first encounter. After stealing the show in almost two hours, the French veteran not only edged in the FedEx ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals)
Head 2 Head series by 1-0 against Wawrinka but also progressed into the quarter-finals.
The French veteran thundered into this ATP World Tour 250 series event and drew the first blood in the second game to go 3-0 up. He lost his edge in the seventh game but broke his opponent’s serve again in the very next game to go 5-3 up. Despite losing
his serve in the ninth game, Mathieu prolonged the set to a tie-breaker and pulled out the opener with a 7-6(3) score line.
Currently ranked 172nd in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Mathieu kept momentum sailing into the follow-up set. He dusted away all three breakpoints he faced and plucked his entire serves with conviction. The French failed to
cash in both break chances but outclassed his rival in the tie-breaker, eventually recording a 7-6(8) success.
All in all, Mathieu withstood 10 aces smashed by the Swiss. He also clobbered a better first serve share of 56 per cent as opposed to his rival’s 52 per cent and tremendously marked 38 out of 50 points o it.
Next in queue for Mathieu is the Latvian contender, Ernests Gulbis, bounced back to overpower Mathieu’s compatriot, Benoit Paire, in a three-set nail-biter to set up this match.
The fourth seed, Mikhail Youzhny, will accompany Wawrinka towards the exit doors. He suffered a 6-4, 2-6, 4-6 loss at the hands of the Brazilian star, Thomaz Bellucci, in two hours and eight minutes. The Russian bagged the opener with poise but stepped off
steam after that, eventually losing against Bellucci for the first time in their fourth battle against each other.
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