Potito Starace prevails over Sergiy Stakhovsky to reach the quarterfinals of BMW Open
World number 43, Italian Potito Starace thrashed Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky, ranked 39th in the world, in straight sets 6-4, 6-2 in the second round at the BMW Open in Munich on Wednesday.
Starace and Stakhovsky held their serve in the first eight games of the opening set to tie the score at 4-4. The Italian broke Stakhovsky in the ninth game and served out the set at 5-4.
The right-handed delivered a couple of aces and a single double fault in the first set. Starace had a first serve percentage of 90 percent, winning 74 percent of the points on his first serve in the opening set. On the other hand,
Stakhovsky hit 59 percent of the first serves and converted 82 percent of them into points. The Ukrainian could not convert any of the two break points he received in the first set.
Taking the winning momentum into the second set, Starace thrashed his opponent as he broke Stakhovsky twice to claim the set 6-2.
The Italian kept his first serve percentage at 81 percent and won 76 percent of the points on his first serve in the second set. In comparison, Stakhovsky had a lower first serve percentage as he fired 60 percent of the firsts
serves, converting 56 percent of them into points. Starace capitalized on two of the seven break point opportunities he created in the second set. The Italian successfully saved the only break point he faced in the second set. The match lasted for just an
hour and 12 minutes.
With this win, Starace improved his win/loss record to 13-11 this year. The Italian began the season at the Medibank International Sydney, where he lost to Florian Mayer of Germany in straight sets 4-6, 1-6 in the quarterfinals.
The right-handed was beaten by Robin Soderling of Sweden 4-6, 2-6, 2-6 in the round of 128 at the Australian Open. Starace reached the semi-finals at the Movistar Open, losing to Santiago Giraldo in three sets 6-4, 6-7(2), 1-6. The 29-year-old’s best performance
of the season so far came at the Grand Prix Hassan II in Casablanca, where he lost to Spanish Pablo Andujar 1-6, 2-6 in the final.
This is Starace’s second appearance at the BMW Open. The Italian was forced to forfeit his match against German Daniel Brands due to an injury, trailing 4-6, 1-1 in the quarterfinals in 2009.
Starace is slated to face world number 76 Philipp Petzschner of Germany in the quarterfinal. The German battled past world number 13, Russian Mikhail Youzhny in three sets 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-2 in the second round. This will be the
first meeting between these two.
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