Robin Haase outlasts Philipp Kohlschreiber to retain title – Bet-at-home Cup 2012
Robin Haase of the Netherlands fought back after dropping the opening set to surprise the top seeded German player, Philipp Kohlschreiber, 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-2 to successfully defend his Bet-at-home Cup title in Kitzbuhel, Austria
on Saturday.
The third seed needed two hours and seven minutes to topple Kohlschreiber in a close match, which was also interrupted by rain. This is just the second title of the Dutch player’s career, with his only previous win came at the
same venue last year.
In the latest match, Haase and Kohlschreiber put on a brilliant serving display in the first set, as they did not lose their serve until the end to level the score at 6-6 and take it to a tie-breaker. The German contender raised
the level of his game afterwards, allowing Haase to win just two points and closing it 7-6(2).
The Dutch contender hit a blow to Kohlschreiber in the very first game of the second set but he failed to consolidate on it, evening out the score at 1-1. Haase broke again in the third and this time he managed to hold his following
serve, taking a 3-1 lead. Serving to stay in the set at 3-5, Kohlschreiber could not hold his serve and went down 3-6.
In the final set, both players held their serve in the first three games to take the score to 2-1 in favour of Haase. The Dutch participant attained breakthrough in the fourth and won his subsequent serve to gain a 4-1 lead. The
ending was quite similar to the previous set, as Kohlschreiber failed to hold when he served to stay in the match, losing it 2-6.
During the post match press conference, a jubilant Haase said, "I didn't feel too much pressure even if I was the defending champion. I was a bit nervous in the first match against [Philipp] Oswald. From the quarter-finals on,
I started a bit nervously before calming down and winning. I'm happy I won here again. I don't think many players have won here twice.”
On the other hand, Kohlschreiber stated, "The last two days were very intense. It was a great tournament and [I have had] a great season so far. It's a bit tough right now, but I'm still happy since I reached the Top 20 with my
performance this week and I played very well here."
Haase and Kohlschreiber will now go to London to take part in the Olympic Games.
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