Sam Querrey rallies past Alexandr Dolgopolov in quarters – Winston-Salem Open 2012
Seeded seventh in this event, Sam Querrey upset the Ukrainian number one, Alexandr Dolgopolov, in a three-set thriller at the Winston-Salem Open 2012 on Thursday, He summed up a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(3) victory against the world number 15 to charge into the semi-finals
at the Wake Forest University in Winston Salem, North Carolina.
The local star displayed tremendous skills to overpower Dolgopolov for the first time in their third encounter at this Emirates Airline US Open Series event. After registering this success in two hours and 11 minutes, Querrey avenged his defeat at the Citi
Open in Washington earlier this month and secured a place in the final eight.
“It feels good to get that win today, and the matches are just going to get tougher,” said the booming American in an on court interview after bagging the match. “I’m going to have to keep playing better if I want to keep winning. It looks like Berdych played
well today, especially the second and third sets, so it’s going to be a tough one.”
The 24-year-old made a powerful entry at this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 series event. He drew the first blood in the second game and jumped to a 2-0 lead. Despite squandering his lead in the very next game, Querrey remained
focused and kept remaining serves. He got the breakthrough after cashing in another break chance in the last game and clinched the opener with a 7-5 score line.
Dolgopolov on the other end rebounded in the follow-up set. He swiftly swiped his entire serves without facing any trouble and cashed in one out of six break opportunities in the fifth game to carve out the equaliser with a 6-4 win.
Ranked 28th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Querrey found his rhythm again in the final set. He fired 10 aces to pluck his entire serves without facing any barrier. The American lavished three break opportunities but prevailed
in the tie-breaker, eventually sealing the decider with a 7-6(3) success.
Next challenge for Querrey is the second seed, Tomas Berdych from Czech Republic. The wild card recipient hit back to crush Belgium’s Steve Darcis with a bagel.
The top seed, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, will join the American in the final four. He crippled the Spanish challenger, Marcel Granollers, with a breadstick to progress. The French star will face off John Isner, the third seeded American, in the semi-final.
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