ATP Rio: Felix Auger-Aliassime marches on. Jaume Munar wins marathon
Following three wins he scored in Cordoba and Buenos Aires, Aljaz Bedene will compete in the quarter-final in Rio after a 6-3, 6-4 triumph over Thiago Monteiro in an hour and 57 minutes. It was a grueling battle from start to finish, with ten break points up for grabs on both sides and six breaks in total. The Slovenian defended the second serve more effectively, fending off eight break points and securing four return games to prevail in straight sets. Thiago drew first blood on the fifth game when Aljaz netted an easy forehand, wasting a game point for a 4-2 and losing serve after a shaky forehand to keep the rival in contention.
Bedene was on a roll now and he secured another break at 4-3 with a forehand winner, closing the set with a backhand winner in the following game for a 6-3 and four straight games on his tally. Thiago opened a 4-2 gap in set number two but his lead was a short-lived one, spraying a backhand error in the next game and losing ground after that, netting a forehand in game nine and squandering three break points at 4-5 to finish on the losing side. A day after scoring his maiden ATP win, Hugo Dellien took down Roberto Carballes Baena 7-5, 6-4 in two hours and two minutes, becoming the first Bolivian in an ATP quarter-final since Mario Martinez in Washington 1983.
Hugo lost serve thrice but that was never enough for the Spaniard to score a more favorable outcome, facing unreal 23 break points and suffering five breaks to push Dellien over the top. Roberto worked hard to erase six break points in the third game and he gained a 5-3 lead with a break at love in game eight when Hugo sent a forehand wide. In one of the most important games of the match, Dellien earned eight break chances in the following game, converting the last one to pull the break back and reduce the deficit, firing a forehand winner to ensure another break at 5-5 and clinching the opener with another one in game 12 for a 7-5.
Leading 4-0 in the second set, the Bolivian lost four games in a row to keep Roberto in the match, only to win eight of the last nine points, advancing into his first ATP quarter-final with a service winner in game ten and returning into the top-100. In one of the longest best-of-three matches of the season so far, Jaume Munar prevailed against Cameron Norrie 7-6, 5-7, 7-6 in three hours and 19 minutes for his fourth quarter-final of the year. There were 31 break points up for grabs and we saw seven breaks of serve, four for Munar who led 5-2 in the deciding set before wrapping up the win in the tie break.
Norrie gave his best to stay in touch with the Spaniard, converting the sixth break point to move 5-3 up in the opener before Jaume broke at love in the very next game to prolong the action. The tie break was super exciting as well, with Cameron leading 6-2 before losing six straight points, allowing Munar to steal the set with a service winner in the 14th point. After 18 break points in the opening set, there were only four in set number two, with a left-handed Briton saving two match points at 4-5 to break Munar in the following game with a forehand winner and clinch the set with a hold at 15 for a 7-5 and the decider after already spending more than two hours on the court.
Leading 5-2 in the third set, Jaume failed to make the one last push and cross the finish line, suffering a break at 15 in the ninth game and wasting another match point on the return in game ten to keep Cameron in the encounter before the tie break. There, Munar prevailed 7-4 to acquire one of the hardest wins in a career and secure the place in the last eight for the first time at the ATP 500 level. An 18-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime is through to the quarters as well after a 7-5, 6-4 win over Christian Garin who defeated him in Buenos Aires last week. A day after he toppled Fabio Fognini, Felix scored another great win that secures the top-100 debut for him on Monday as the first player born in 2000 who achieved that.
The Canadian lost serve thrice, erasing that deficit with five successful return games, firing 27 winners and 31 unforced errors to leave Christian Garin and move into his second ATP quarter-final. It was a shaky start for both players, trading four breaks in a row at 1-1 to stay neck and neck before 5-5 when Felix moved ahead when Garin sprayed a backhand error, sealing the first set with three winners in game 12 and hoping for more of the same in the rest of the encounter. The decisive moment of the second set came in game seven when Christian hit a double fault to lose serve and Felix needed no second invitation, crossing the finish line in the tenth game with a great hold to crack the top-90.
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2SSW0FY
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