Stakhovsky/Stepanek beat Bracciali/Norman in the quarterfinals – German Tennis Championships 2011
Ukrainian/Czech pair of Sergiy Stakhovsky and Radek Stepanek defeated Daniele Bracciali of Italy and d**k Norman of Belgium in three sets 6-4, 4-6, 10-8 in the quarterfinals at the German Tennis Championships in Hamburg on Thursday.
It took the Ukrainian/Czech team an hour and 23 minutes to undo their opponents.
Stakhovsky and Stepanek took an early lead, breaking the Italian/Belgian pair in the third game of the first set and consolidating on it to take a 3-1 lead. The Ukrainian/Czech duo maintained their lead throughout the set and won
it 6-4.
The unseeded duo delivered 54 percent of the first serves and one ace in the opening set. Stakhovsky and Stepanek won most of the service points, claiming 92 percent of the first service points and 73 percent of the second service
points in the first set. While, Bracciali and Norman converted 77 percent of the first serves and 50 percent of the second serves into points. The Italian/Belgian team managed to win only one of the eight first return points in the opening set. They failed
to save one of the two break points they faced in the first set.
Bracciali and Norman fought back in the second set as they broke the Ukrainian/Czech team in the fifth game and held their next service game to go ahead 4-2. Stakhovsky and Stepanek broke again in the eighth game and tied the score
at 4-4. The Italian/Czech duo captured two successive games after that, breaking the Ukrainian/Czech pair in the ninth game and serving out the set at 5-4.
The 177th ranked team had mixed service performance in the second set. They hit 71 percent of the first serves and converted 65 percent of them into points. At the same time, they committed a couple of double faults
and managed to win just three of the eight second service points in the second set. Bracciali and Norman, however, did well to bag 36 percent of the first return points. The Italian/Belgian combination saved two of the three break points they faced on their
own serve and capitalised on both break point opportunities they created on Stakhovsky and Stepanek’s serve in the second set.
Stakhovsky and Stepanek regained their form in the match tie-break, clinching a single mini-break and winning it 10-8.
The Ukrainian/Czech pair delivered 44 percent of the first serves in the match tie-break and won a 100 percent points on them.
Stakhovsky and Stepanek will meet Czech/Slovakian pair of Frantisek Cermak and Filip Polasek in the semi-finals.
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