ATP Munich: Kohlschreiber downs Khachanov. Bautista Agut and Pella advance
The 7th seed Guido Pella has made his impressive season an even better one on Thursday, defeating Taro Daniel 6-1, 6-7, 6-3 in two hours and 19 minutes for the 21st win this year. Firing 11 aces, Pella played better on the second serve and erased eight out of ten break points to mount the pressure on the Japanese who did his best to overcome the second set deficit and force the decider where he lost serve once to propel Guido through. The Argentinian raced into a 6-1, 4-1 lead before losing ground a little bit, suffering breaks in games six and ten (while serving for the victory) before wasting a match point at 6-5 in the tie break.
After all kind of drama, Daniel stole the breaker 9-7 and stayed in touch until 3-3 in the third set, wasting two break points in the seventh game and allowing Pella to claim the last three games and cross the finish line first. The 4th seed Roberto Bautista Agut toppled an 18-year-old Rudolf Molleker 6-4, 6-2 in an hour and 17 minutes for the place in the fifth quarter-final of the season. The Spaniard gave away only 12 points in nine service games, suffering one break and erasing the deficit with a strong performance on the return, stealing almost half of the points behind Molleker's serve to earn four breaks from 15 opportunities.
Interestingly, the youngster opened a 4-2 lead in the first set before dropping the next six games to find himself 6-4, 2-0 down. Roberto controlled the pace in the rest of the encounter, breaking again in game seven and moving over the top with a hold at love a few minutes later for the place in the quarters. Seventeen years after Munich debut in 2002, Philipp Kohlschreiber is through to another quarter-final after a 7-6, 6-4 win over the struggling Russian Karen Khachanov in an hour and 49 minutes. This was the 35th win for Philipp in Munich, delivering the fifth straight loss for Khachanov who stayed on only seven victories in 2019, asking for a wild card and hitting another early exit.
Losing only five points on the second serve, Kohlschreiber faced only one break point and that wasn't enough for Karen to score more positive result, getting broken twice and failing to impose his shots in the crucial moments. Philipp had the upper hand in the opening set, serving well and creating three break chances, failing to convert any and allowing Khachanov to reach the tie break where he had a set point at 6-5. Philipp saved it with a service winner and claimed the set when the Russian sent a backhand long in the 14th point for an 8-6. The second set was also tight, Khachanov pulled the break back in game eight before dropping the last two games and sent Kohlschreiber into the last eight.
Budapest champion Matteo Berrettini needed an hour and 19 minutes to dismiss Denis Kudla for the first time in three matches, landing 12 aces and dropping only ten points in ten service games to mount the pressure on the American. Denis stayed competitive in the first ten games before Matteo grabbed a break, closing the set with a hold at 15 in game 12. The Italian continued his charge in set number two, securing breaks in games one and nine to race over the finish line for the 13th triumph in 2019.
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2PIDTOf
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