Robin Haase rallies past Feliciano Lopez into the quarterfinals – Bet-At-Home Cup 2011
World number 53 Robin Haase of the Netherlands made a great comeback after the first set drubbing to overpower Spaniard Feliciano Lopez, seeded second at the event, in three sets 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the second round at the Bet-At-Home
Cup in Kitzbuhel on Thursday. The Dutch took an hour and 53 minutes to undo his opponent in a tough match.
Lopez outclassed his opponent in the first set as he dropped only one game, breaking the Dutch three times to win the set 6-1.
The Spaniard fired 72 percent of the first serves and one ace in the opening set. The left-handed sealed ten of the thirteen first service points and three of the five second service points. Lopez troubled the Dutch with his accurate
service returns, clinching six of the ten first return points and ten of the sixteen second return points in the first set. The Spaniard won all the three break points he received on Haase’s serve in the opening set.
Haase and Lopez held their serve in the first four games of the second set to take the score to 2-2. The Dutch broke Lopez in the fifth game and held his serve in the next game to grab a 4-2 lead. Haase consolidated on the single
break of serve to grab the set 6-4.
The Dutch kept his first serve percentage at 55 percent and delivered one ace in the second set. The 24-year-old converted ten of the sixteen first serves and eleven of the thirteen second serves into points. Haase, however, returned
poorly as he won only one of the thirteen first return points. The Dutch converted one of the two break points he received on Lopez’ serve in the second set.
Haase carried the winning momentum into the deciding set, breaking the Spaniard in the third game and winning his next service game to grab a 3-1 lead. The Dutch broke again at 5-3 to win the set 6-3.
The Hague resident did not have an impressive first serve percentage but he had a formidable conversion rate, winning seven of the eight points on the first serve and nine of the ten points on the second serve in the final set.
The right-handed also returned well as he captured thirteen of the 31 total return points in the third set.
Haase will meet sixth seed Andreas Seppi of Italy in the quarterfinals. The Italian beat Pere Riba of Spain 7-5, 6-4 in the second round.
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