ATP Buenos Aires: Ferrer wastes two MP's. Thiem and Schwartzman hit semis
Competing in only his fourth match o the season, Dominic Thiem scored the first win on clay in 2019 after a 6-4, 6-4 triumph over Maximilian Marterer in an hour and 22 minutes for the tenth win in Buenos Aires in as many matches! Both players had to fight against eight break points, with Thiem saving six of those and earning four breaks that propelled him over the finish line for the place in the quarter-final, taking seven points more than the German. The Roland Garros finalist saved two break points in the fourth game of the match and he broke at 15 at 4-4 to gain the crucial lead, closing the opener when Marterer sprayed a backhand error in the following game for a 6-4.
They traded breaks at the start of the second set and again in games five and six, with Marterer erasing the deficit twice to stay on the positive side of the scoreboard. He even had a break point at 4-3 that could have sent him in front but Dominic saved it with a forehand winner before breaking at 15 in game nine when Marterer's backhand found the net. Serving at 5-4, Thiem hit two winners to complete the task and move into the last eight where he will face Pablo Cuevas. The Uruguayan needed an hour and 39 minutes to oust the 5th seed Joao Sousa 6-4, 7-5, saving seven out of nine break points and breaking the Portuguese four times to prevail in straight sets.
The only break of the opening set came in game nine and Cuevas secured the set after saving three break points in games eight and ten for a 6-4. Pablo opened a 4-2 advantage in set number two before Sousa broke back in game eight to prolong the set and the drama, only to lose serve in game 11 and allow Cuevas to cross the finish line with a hold in the next game. The 4th seed Diego Schwartzman took down Aljaz Bedene 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 in just under two hours, overcoming a poor second set to stay on the title course. Despite serving at 76%, Schwartzman lost 40% of the points behind the initial shot, facing seven break points and getting broken five times, canceling that deficit with six breaks of his own for a positive outcome.
They shared four breaks in the first seven games and it was Diego who grabbed another one in game nine with a backhand down the line winner, sealing the deal with a backhand down the line winner in game ten for a hold at love and 6-4. The Slovenian played better in the pivotal moments of the second set, breaking Schwartzman in games six and eight for a 6-2 and the momentum before the start of the decider. There, the Argentinian raced into a 5-0 lead with three straight breaks and he wrapped up the win with an excellent hold in game eight that pushed him inside the quarters.
The only three-time Buenos Aires champion David Ferrer has played his last match in Argentina, wasting two match points in a 3-6, 7-6, 6-3 loss to Albert Ramos-Vinolas in two hours and 27 minutes. The veteran won one point more than the struggling compatriot and he had a chance to close the match in the second set tie break when he had those match points. David saved just two out of seven break points he faced but he had his opportunities even outside the breaker, creating 11 chances on the return and converting six, leading 6-3, 4-1 before Albert started to climb back.
Trailing 3-1 in the opener, Ferrer won five straight games to grab the set with a return winner in game nine, opening a 4-1 lead in set number two with a hold at love and marching towards the finish line. Ramos-Vinolas broke back with a volley winner in game seven and he fended off those match points at 6-7, and 8-9 in the tie break to win it 11-9 after a forehand error from David. Carried by this momentum, Ramos-Vinolas opened a 5-0 lead in the final set in no time at all and he moved over the top with three winners in game nine to send David Ferrer into the legends of this event.
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2N8fPTw
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