Tomas Berdych bounces over Kevin Anderson to enter quarters – BNP Paribas Masters 2012
Czech number one, Tomas Berdych, made an epic comeback from a set down to outsmart the South African number one, Kevin Anderson, in a three-set thriller at the BNP Paribas Masters 2012 on Thursday. He notched up a 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory against the Johannesburg
native to power into the quarter-finals at this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Masters 1000 event held in Paris, France.
Seeded fifth in this event, Berdych made a drastic entry at this indoor hard court event. However, he stayed focused and sought his rhythm in the following set. As a result, the Czech dominated in the following two sets, eventually carving out the victory
in two hours and 12 minutes. After earning this fame, Berdych improved to a 4-0 lifetime in the FedEx ATP Head 2 Head Series against the 26-year-old and progressed into the last eight at this indoor hard court event.
The world number 39 thundered into the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy. He went on a five-game tear before Berdych could come on the score sheet. Anderson plucked his serve once again and pulled out the opener with a breadstick. He dusted away all three
breakpoints he came across and converted two out of three break chances to his advantage.
Berdych re-focused his strategy in the following set. He blocked the lone breakpoint he came across to keep his entire serves. The Czech got the breakthrough in the eighth game after capitalising on one out of three break chances and grabbed the equaliser
with a 6-3 win.
Ranked sixth in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Berdych maintained consistency in his game in the deciding set. He got the coveted break in the seventh game and jumped to a 5-3 lead. The Czech held his serve once again and clinched the
decider with a 6-4 score line. He was never threatened with any hindrance and cashed the lone break chance to carve out the victory.
The high flying seed will face off the local challenger, Gilles Simon, in the last eight. The Frenchman received a walkover against 15th seeded Kei Nishikori to set up this meeting.
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