Radek Stepanek edges past John Isner into the last-eight stage – Shanghai Rolex Masters 2012
Czech Republic’s Radek Stepanek ousted ATP World Tour Finals contender, John Isner, in three sets 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3 in the third round of the Shanghai Rolex Masters on Thursday. The former world number eight, Stepanek, needed two
hours and 27 minutes to undo the current 12th ranked player, Isner.
Stepanek and Isner held their serve in the first six games, taking the score to 3-3. The Czech contender hit a blow to his American rival in the seventh and consolidated on it to gain a 5-3 advantage. Stepanek did not allow Isner
to stage a comeback, sealing it 6-4.
Both players served superbly in the second set, as none of them dropped it till the end, equalising the score at 6-6 and taking it to a tie-breaker. Stepanek and Isner won each point on their serve in the first 11 and took the
proceedings to 6-5 in favour of the latter. The American sent a blistering return to Stepanek’s serve at that moment to capture the point and with it the set 7-6(5).
Decider went with serve in the first five games, taking the score to 3-2 in favour of Stepanek. The Czech star stung a break in the sixth and capitalised on it to go up 5-2. The 33-year-old maintained his lead and closed out the
final set 6-3.
Both players committed a couple of double faults but Isner bombarded 17 aces on his opponent compared to just four by Stepanek. The Czech had a decent conversion rate, pocketing 47 of the 61 first and 24 of the 33 second delivery
points. The Monte Carlo, Monaco resident put away the only break threat he came across during the match.
Stepanek said, "It's always great to be in quarters. The tournament is not over yet. I'm playing some good tennis here this week. I like the court. It suits my game. I'm trying to make the most of it."
The Czech player will lock horns with the world number three, Andy Murray, in the quarters.
On playing Stepanek, Murray said, "He's in great shape. He's incredibly quick and flexible. He has a very different game style to a lot of the guys now. He's a character on the court, as well. He likes to entertain, too, and can
frustrate guys. I'll need to make sure I'm focused and patient and take care of my side of the court tomorrow."
The British star thrashed Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine in straight sets in the third round.
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