Tomas Berdych ousts Alejandro Falla to enter quarters – Rakuten Open 2012
Second seed, Tomas Berdych from Czech Republic, got the better of the Colombian contender, Alejandro Falla, in straight sets at the Rakuten Open 2012 on Thursday. He notched up a 6-3, 7-5 victory against the world number 57 to power into the quarter-finals
at this outdoor hard court event taking place in Tokyo, Japan.
The Czech number one required one hour and 18 minutes to outsmart Falla in their first battle against each other. As a result, Berdych took lead in the FedEx ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Head 2 Head Series by 1-0 against the 28-year-old and
progressed into the final eight at the Ariake Coliseum.
“I was feeling much better physically than in my first match,” said the ecstatic Czech after recording the victory. “I was able to profit from that. I was serving well, was playing solid and when I had the chance, I took it. That’s why I was able to finish
it in two sets.”
Berdych entered this ATP World Tour 500 Series event in high spirits. He swiftly bagged his entire serves without facing any hindrance. The Czech cashed the single break opportunity in the sixth game and pulled out the opener with a 6-3 score line.
Ranked sixth in the world, Berdych maintained his intensity in the following set. He ruled his entire serves without facing any trouble. The Czech got the breakthrough in the 11th game and clicked the set with a 7-5 win. He converted one out of
four break chances to his advantage.
On the whole, Berdych fired nine aces and clobbered a higher first serve share of 69 per cent as compared to his rival’s 53 per cent. He also superbly marked 32 out of 35 points on it and ended the match with 67 points.
Next in queue for Berdych is the eighth seed, Kei Nishikori, who is the highest ranked player in Asia. The Japanese star hit back at Spain’s Tommy Robredo to set up this battle.
The sixth seed, Milos Raonic, will join Berdych in the last eight. The Canadian number one registered a 3-0 retirement victory against Serbia’s Viktor Troicki to progress.
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