Colombian Alejandro Falla produced the first upset at the Los Angeles Open with a gripping and occasionally tempestuous 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (10/8) victory over fifth-seeded Latvian Ernests Gulbis in the second round on Thursday.
The Colombian will take on top seed Andy Murray in the quarter-finals, the Briton surviving a second-set wobble and a stiff back to beat qualifier Tim Smyczek of the US 6-1, 4-6, 6-2.
World No. 4 Murray, playing his first tournament since his semi-final loss to Spaniard Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon earlier this month, broke the unheralded Smyczek three times in the final set to advance on a cool evening.
PHOTO: AFP
Left-hander Falla came from 0-3 down in the third set and needed five match-points before clinching the tiebreak against a temperamental Gulbis at the Los Angeles Tennis Center.
Gulbis, who was repeatedly warned by the umpire for racket abuse, appeared to have the match firmly within his grasp after taking early control in the third set, but he then lost three successive games for Falla to level.
Although the Colombian failed to serve out when leading 5-4 and squandered a 6-4 advantage in the tiebreak, he finally wrapped up victory in 2 hours, 15 minutes when Gulbis netted a backhand.
“I played really well in the last set,” a beaming but exhausted Falla said after reaching his second ATP quarter-final of the year.
Asked whether he had benefited from his opponent’s hot temper, Falla replied: “It helped me a lot. He gave me a few chances and I got them.”
Gulbis, playing his first tournament since being sidelined in May by a hamstring injury he suffered at the French Open, felt he had paid the price for his recent inactivity.
“If you don’t fish for two months, maybe you’re bad at fishing,” the 21-year-old told reporters with a smile. “I was so tired. It was really tough for me to go for long rallies.”
Gulbis was docked a point after hurling his racket to the ground in frustration after being broken to trail 3-5 in the second set and was fortunate to escape another penalty at 8-7 down in the tiebreak.
“Whatever I would do, I would get a warning,” he said. “This referee, his only fun in life is to give warnings, but if he had disqualified me in the tiebreak, that would be stupid.”
Murray, bidding for his first title this year, cruised through the opening set in 28 minutes and appeared to be on track for a demolition job against the world No. 192.
However, the Scot was unexpectedly broken three times in the second set as Smyczek leveled the match. Further service breaks were traded in the first two games of the third set, before Murray restored order.
“Tonight was a very good match with a lot of long rallies, especially in the first two sets,” the Scot said. “It was a good standard and hopefully it will stand me in good stead.”
Asked how he had fared physically, Murray replied: “I was stiff, maybe because it was cool this evening. It’s the first time I have played since Wimbledon. Hopefully I will be OK tomorrow.”
Fourth-seeded Spaniard Feliciano Lopez booked his place in the last eight by beating Israeli Dudi Sela 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 in the first match of the day.
Lopez, who clinched his second ATP career title in Johannesburg in February, blasted 12 aces on the hard-court surface to seal the win in 1 hour, 37 minutes. He will next meet wild-card James Blake of the US, who improved his record to 3-0 over Germany’s Benjamin Becker with a 7-5, 7-6 (7/5) victory.
■SWISS OPEN
AP, GSTAAD, Switzerland
Top seeded Mikhail Youzhny advanced to the Swiss Open quarter-finals on Thursday, beating wild-card Alexander Sadecky of Switzerland in straight sets.
The 14th-ranked Russian won the second-round match 7-5, 6-4, ending No. 437 Sadecky’s first tour event.
Youzhny next faces No. 147 Yuri Schukin from Kazakhstan, a qualifier reaching his first quarter-finals match on the tour at age 31.
Schukin defeated Portugal’s Frederico Gil 6-3, 6-3 on a rain-affected day on Gstaad’s outdoor clay courts.
Another Russian, Igor Andreev, completed a second-round victory over Switzerland’s Marco Chiudinelli 6-3, 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (8/6). The match had been suspended late on Wednesday with just the decisive tiebreaker to play.
Second-seeded Nicolas Almagro of Spain made Michael Lammer the third home-based loser on the day, rallying to beat the 28-year-old Swiss player 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Almagro faces Jeremy Chardy in the last eight after the Frenchman beat Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen 7-5, 6-2.
■STANFORD CLASSIC
Reuters, STANFORD, California
Holder Marion Bartoli advanced to the quarter-finals of the Stanford Classic on Thursday with a 6-3, 6-4 win over former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic, while Maria Sharapova also advanced to the last eight.
Russian Sharapova, a three-times Grand Slam winner, beat Belarusian Olga Govortsova 6-3, 6-3, while Maria Kirilenko defeated sixth seed Shahar Peer 6-4, 6-3.
American teenager Melanie Oudin lost 6-3, 6-1 to eighth seed Victoria Azarenka.
Sharapova dictated the action off the ground against the erratic Govortsova, serving and returning well enough to control most of the points.
“I stayed aggressive and made sure to have an extra something on my ball,” said the fifth-seeded Sharapova, who will face second seed Elena Dementieva of Russia in the quarter-finals.
Frenchwoman Bartoli, who beat Venus Williams to win the Stanford title last year, served and returned aggressively against Ivanovic.
“I’m really pleased I was finally able to get past her,” said Bartoli, who had lost all three of her previous meetings against the Serbian. “I’m moving a lot better, so I’m able to get the ball back with interest when she hits the ball hard.”
Bartoli will face Azarenka, who believes she can regain a place among the world’s top 10.
“I think I played very well,” Azarenka said. “It was a little tough at the beginning with a couple of service breaks, but I felt strong the whole match.”
Peer had beaten Kirilenko in New Zealand at the start of the season, but this time the Russian was in control.
“This time I decided to be a lot more aggressive,” Kirilenko said. “This year has been so much better and given me a lot of confidence.”
Kirilenko will meet third seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland in the quarter-finals, while top seed Samantha Stosur of Australia will play Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium.
■ISTANBUL CUP
AFP, ISTANBUL
French Open champion Francesca Schiavone, the world No. 8, suffered a shock second-round defeat to Britain’s Elena Baltacha in the Istanbul Cup on Thursday.
Baltacha, the world No. 59, broke serve in the first game of the match on her way to a 6-4, 6-2 win over the top seed.
“I’m really proud. It’s my third top 10 win and I’ve had such a great year,” Baltacha said. “I’d like to think this is the real Elena Baltacha. I’m beginning to perform much more consistently and I’m improving a lot. I still have a few things to work on, but I feel every week I’m adding a lot of positives.”
Baltacha’s first top 10 wins came this year — beating Li Na at Indian Wells and Eastbourne. She was the first British woman to beat a top 10 player in more than a decade.
“In the three weeks off after Wimbledon, one of the things I worked on with my coach was trying to expose my opponent, then run around and finish with a forehand,” said Baltacha, her country’s only top 100 player. “It’s really paying off. I’m confident I can hit a big forehand when the situation comes up. I’m delighted with how I’m playing.”
Schiavone, who is now 1-3 since winning her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, was gracious in defeat to Baltacha in the pair’s first meeting.
“She served very well and played well at the most important moments,” the 30-year-old Italian said. “I didn’t play so well, so I’m a little bit upset, but it can happen.”
Baltacha will face German sixth seed Andrea Petkovic for a place in the semi-finals.
■CROATIA OPEN
AFP, UMAG, Croatia
Heavy rain washed out the entire second round program at the Croatia Open on Thursday.
The four matches were rescheduled for yesterday before the quarter-finals get underway.
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