Philipp Kohlschreiber edges past Feliciano Lopez into the final – BMW Open 2012
Seeded fourth in the draw, Philipp Kohlschreiber staged an upset by beating the second seed, Feliciano Lopez of Spain, in three sets 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-4 in the semi-final of the BMW Open in Munich, Germany on Saturday. The local
favourite required two hours and 19 minutes to overcome the Spaniard’s challenge.
Kohlschreiber and Lopez went on equal terms in the first four games, levelling the score at 2-2. The German gained complete control over the proceedings after that, clinching four consecutive games to close it 6-2.
The 5ft 10in tall did quite well on his first serves but he was below average on the second ones. He pounded three aces and secured 15 of the 20 points on the first deliveries but committed two double faults, winning just six of
the 12 second serve points.
Kohlschreiber and Lopez did not allow each other to claim a break throughout the second set, taking the score to 6-6 and forcing a tie-breaker. The Spaniard started off with a 3-0 lead and capitalised on it to win 7-6(4).
The big server, Lopez, bombarded six aces and did not commit any double fault in the second set. He kept his first serve percentage at 71 and pocketed 23 of the 32 points on them. The left-hander failed to save the three break
opportunities he created but also avoided all the four threats he came across.
Kohlschreiber struck early in the decider, snatching a break in the third game and winning his next serve to grab a 3-1 lead. The German sustained it till the end of the contest, sealing it 6-4.
The 28-year-old banged in three aces but also made the same number of double faults. He captured 16 of the 20 points on the first deliveries and did not give any break chance to Lopez in the final set.
After the match, Kohlschreiber said, "Over the whole week, I've played great tennis. Today, everything was at the top. Mentally, after a tough second set, where I had some chances, I'm happy to be in the final."
He added, "It will be very tough. We practised at the beginning of the week, and both felt we had a high quality practise. He's maybe a little bit of the favourite. He has a lot of confidence and played a great match against Tommy.
I want to raise my level and win the title here."
Kohlschreiber will lock horns with Croatia’s Marin Cilic, who is seeded third, for the title.
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