Tsonga, Malisse into last 8, Del Potro/Stepanek win quarterfinal – Erste Bank Open 2011: Day 4
On the fourth day of the 2011 Erste Bank Open, singles’ competitors fought in the second round of the tournament, to make their place in the quarterfinals of the event.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) met Jarkko Nieminen (Finland). The Finnish player was hoping to enter the next round but his injury broke his run into the tournament. In the first set, Nieminen gave the French player a tough time as
he won it 6-3. He dominated the 2008 Australian Open finalist but the French powerhouse made his presence felt in the second set winning it with a breadstick. In the third set, when the set score was 3-1, Nieminen had to forfeit the game because of an injury,
giving Tsonga the win. Tsonga has now entered the quarterfinals of the tournament.
In another second round singles’ match, Xavier Malisse (Belgium) battled Fabio Fognini (Italy). The two competitors were on the front foot from the first game when both players won six sets each and the game entered into a tiebreaker.
The 24-year old Italian won the first game 7-6 (3). In the second set, the world 50th ranked Belgian won it 6-3 with some nice shots against his 44th ranked Italian competitor. The third set also went to Malisse who won 6-3. Although Malisse was unable to
save any break point, he did deliver nine aces against Fognini and won the match 6-7(3), 6-3, 6-3.
Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) played his match against Daniel Brands (Germany). The 182nd ranked in the world, Brands, gave a tough time to the 26th ranked Czech player as the German won the first set 6-4. In the second set,
the 32-year old Stepanek made a valiant effort to enter the quarterfinals but the tiebreaker was won by Brands, 7-6 (4). In the end, it was the 24-year old German who made his way into the quarterfinals with his win against his Czech opponent, 6-4, 7-6 (4).
Steve Darcis (Belgium) won his match against Dominic Thiem (Austria) in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2. The 18-year old Thiem was in the lead in terms of service, as he delivered six aces against his 27-year old Belgian opponent. Thiem
also saved five out of his nine break points but Darcis was unable to save none. The Belgian, currently 95th in world rankings, was able to win the match in straight sets 6-2, 6-2, because of his experience on the courts as compared to his Austrian opponent.
Austrian Jurgen Melzer defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Spain), 7-5, 6-1. World number 25, Melzer took the first set against the Spanish 7-5. In the second set Lopez, ranked 68 in the world could not overcome Melzer, the semi finalist
of the 2010 French Open, and lost the match.
In the last match of the second round in singles’ competition, Tommy Haas (Germany) defeated Aljaz Bedene (Slovakia) 4-6, 6-4, 6-1. The 33-year old Haas lost the first set 4-6 where his 204th ranked Slovakian opponent looked in
good form. In the next two sets, it was the 273rd ranked Haas who won 6-4, 6-1, effectively winning the match and qualifying for the quarterfinals.
In the men’s doubles first round match, the US team of Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan defeated the team of Christopher Kas (Germany) and Alexander Peya (Austria) 6-7 (9), 7-6 (4), 11-9. The Bryan brothers, winners of eleven Grand Slam
titles, proved their dominance as they entered the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals of the 2011 Erste Bank Open, Juan Martin del Potro (Argenina) and Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) won their match against the Austrian pair of Philipp Oswald and Andreas
Haider-Maurer in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.
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