Tomas Berdych overwhelms Philipp Kohlschreiber to earn a title shot – Open Sud de France 2012
World number seven, Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic, had limited trouble in dumping the 33rd ranked German opponent, Philipp Kohlschreiber, in the semi-final clash of the Open Sud de France tournament on Saturday. The top seed Czech wrapped up the proceedings of the match at 6-3, 6-4, to earn a spot in the title round of the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 event.
The seventh seed German has been outstanding throughout the tournament and registered the biggest upset in the quarter-final round by ousting the fourth seed home favourite, Richard Gasquet. Kohlschreiber went in to the contest as an underdog but stunned everyone present at the Arena Montpellier to clinch a three-set victory over Gasquet, booking a date with the Czech number one for a title shot. He failed to deliver the similar sort of performance on Saturday night and fell to Berdych in straight sets to end his voyage at the Open Sud de France.
With an ordinary serve precision of just 53 per cent, Berdych clinched all of his 34 first serve points in the game to get the better of his opponent. He nailed two serve breaks en route to victory, while the seventh seed Kohlschreiber utterly failed to convert any of his five break opportunities in the match to finish on the losing side in the end. Berdych’s serve game proved to be the vital difference in the contest and the top seed marched into the final of the tournament in a convincing fashion.
“I felt a good rhythm on my serve from the beginning, and that was probably the key. Then, I was able to make those important breaks [of serve] and finish it in two sets,” said Berdych. “My serve is one of the key aspects of my game. If my serve is working well, I start to feel more confident on court. I can be more aggressive on the return and put pressure on the opponent.”
Berdych will square off against the third seed local hero, Gael Monfils, in the title round of the tournament on Sunday. The world number 13, Monfils, stunned his second seed fellow compatriot, Gilles Simon, in an epic semi-final battle on Saturday. He came from behind to steal the three-setter 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-4, earning a place in the final of the Open Sud de France. The two top-class athletes will be battling out for the championship title, with Berdych as the hot favourite but the crowd at Montpellier will be fully backing up their local hero, Monfils, to register an upset win.
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