Victor Hanescu beats Michael Berrer to advance to the quarter-finals of Grand Prix Hassan II
Romanian, world number 58 Victor Hanescu defeated world number 81 Michael Berrer of Germany in straight sets 6-4, 7-6(4) in the second round at the Grand Prix Hassan II in Casablanca on Wednesday. It took Hanescu one hour and 41 minutes to oust his opponent in an evenly contested match.
The Romanian needed a single break of serve in the opening set, winning it 6-4. Hanescu fired in four aces and committed a single double fault in the first set. He kept his first serve percentage at 60 per cent and won 87 per cent of the points on his first serve. In comparison, Berrer hit 52 per cent of the first serves, converting 85 per cent of them into points in the first set.
Berrer took the lead as he broke Hanescu in the opening game of the second set. However, Hanescu broke back immediately to tie the score at 1-1. Both players held their serves in the next ten games, levelling the score at 6-6 to force a tie-break. Hanescu claimed two mini-breaks in the tie-break, winning it 7-4.
The Romanian hit a couple of aces and 61 per cent of the first serves in the second set. The Hanescu won 72 per cent of the points on his first serve. On the other hand, Berrer delivered two aces and committed five double faults in the second set. The 30-year-old fired in 52 per cent of the first serves, converting 76 per cent of them into points in the second set. The German saved four of the five break points he faced in the second set.
With this win, the Romanian improved to a 4-9 win/loss record in 2011. Hanescu started the season at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, where he lost to Ernests Gulbis of Latvia in straight sets 3-6, 6-7(6) in the opening round. The Romanian was beaten by Nicolas Almagro of Spain 4-6, 6-7(3) in the second round at the Heineken Open. The right-handed failed to clear the first round of the Australian Open, losing to Mardy Fish of USA in five sets 6-2, 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 3-6.
This is Hanescu’s sixth appearance at the Grand Prix Hassan II. The Romanian lost to Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka, ranked 23rd at that time, in straight sets 2-6, 3-6 in the title match last year. He was beaten by Jarko Nieminen of Finland 3-6, 6-7(2) in the opening round in his maiden appearance here in 2005.
Hanescu is drawn to meet Russian Andrey Kuznetsov, ranked 244th in the 2011 South African Airways ATP Rankings, in the quarter-finals. The Russian ousted world number 26 Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus in three sets 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in the second round.
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