Argentina’s Juan Martin Del Potro continued his stunning run of form yesterday to set up a showdown against Tomas Berdych in the final of the Japan Open.
The Argentine fifth seed, fresh from upsetting defending champion David Ferrer of Spain in the quarter-finals, beat Richard Gasquet 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 to claim his 29th win in his past 30 matches.
Berdych, the ninth seed from the Czech Republic, staged a great comeback from 0-3 down in the final set to beat second seed Andy Roddick of the US 6-7 (3/7), 7-5, 7-6 (7/3).
PHOTO: AFP
“He [Gasquet] served very well in the second and third sets. He has a good backhand and he made a lot of slices. I don’t like it,” the 20-year-old Del Potro said. “But I served well, too, when I needed it. I was a little lucky, but I played good.”
After losing the first set with three breaks against his serve, Gasquet hit form in the second set with a single break enough to level the match.
Gasquet, the fourth seed, had the first chance to break in the final set, only to see Del Potro hit a forehand volley winner.
The Frenchman had another chance in the 11th game, when Del Potro hit a couple of double faults to trail 15-40, but the Argentine held on.
When Del Potro was asked about what he was thinking in the 11th game, he said: “I just tried to keep going, because if I keep trying I would have a chance to break him. That’s what happened in the final game.”
Gasquet said: “In the first set he was better than me. I served too bad. He broke me in the first game, so it was not good for my confidence. But I was better than him in the second set, for sure, and in the third, I had one break point at 1-1 and break points at 5-5. I was a little bit [tired] and frustrated after losing at 5-5.”
“He served really well in the third set. He is confident after beating Ferrer,” said Gasquet, ranked 13th in the world.
In the other semi-final, Berdych stormed back from 0-3 and 2-5 down in the final set before winning the tie-breaker.
“5-2 looks really not good, but it was only one break, so I was just trying to stay on my serve. I just tried to make a break, because I made two times in the second set,” Berdych said. “I felt that the chances were there and I just tried to go for it, and finally it happened. The most important thing was to stay as close as possible with him. In the end it came to the tie-break and I won it.”
As for the final against Del Potro, he said: “He has a great season, his summer was great, he won four tournaments in a row. I think the chances are even. I will bring my best game and hopefully I can bring the title home.”
Roddick said: “He [Berdych] plays a big game. I think the surface suits him pretty well, because he hits hard and flat. He did everything pretty well, he served pretty well, so nothing really surprised me about the way he played.”
Also See: Jankovic set to regain No. 1 spot
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was
RALLY: It was only the second time the Taiwanese has partnered with Kudermetova, and the match seemed tight until they won seven points in a row to take the last set 10-2 Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament. Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well. They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3. In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but