This Thursday, May 19, at the Nice Open, the quarter-finals were played. Romanian Victor Hanescu was the first to secure his ticket to the semi-finals, but the surprise of the day was made by Alexandr Dolgopolov, who eliminated the number 1 seed, the Spaniard David Ferrer. Nicolas Almagro and Tomas Berdych, on the other hand, did not falter and easily qualified for the last four.
On the Central Court, the program started with the match between Victor Hanescu and Dutchman Robin Haase. More solid in the baseline play, the match was quickly dominated by the Romanian who took the first set 6 games to 1. At the beginning of the second set, the Dutchman had a severe fall and twisted his ankle. The intervention of the medical team changed nothing. After avoiding Andy Roddick, who withdrew due to a shoulder injury, Hanescu once again benefited from his opponent’s retirement and continued his health walk straight to the semi-finals.
Dolgopolov makes waves
The match of the day was unquestionably the face-off between the tournament’s number 1 seed David Ferrer and the unpredictable Alexandr Dolgopolov. The world’s 23rd player, as whimsical as he is talented, grabbed the first set, 6/4. A surprise? Not really, given how difficult it is to handle the Ukrainian’s game. Stung in his pride, the Spaniard relied on his fighting qualities and held back nothing. He distanced himself in the second set to claim it (6/1) in 32 minutes. It was difficult to make any predictions then. In the third set, the two men engaged in a neck-and-neck battle, which turned to the advantage of the young Ukrainian.
Pushed to his limits, Ferrer finally gave in for the first time in 3 confrontations. Final Score 6/4 1/6 7/5.
Dolgopolov held firm and delighted the spectators. With his atypical game and personal technique, Alexandr Dolgopolov has a style all his own and resembles no one. A great performance for someone who was eliminated in Nice last year by the future winner Richard Gasquet. If he stays physically fit, he will have a good shot in the semi-finals, where he will face Hanescu for a place in the final.
Berdych, déjà vu
Since his debut against Mannarino, Tomas Berdych has been imperial. Impressive with precision and calm, the Czech is confident in his strikes, and it shows. Having defeated the Frenchman 6/1 6/4 in the previous round, the 7th player made no details today against Ernests Gulbis, winning by the same score.
Unplayable in the first set, the Latvian nonetheless managed to lead the race in the second set, leading 4/2. Gulbis could not confirm his break advantage despite having a point for 5/2. Frustrated, he broke a racket in the process. Berdych, however, did not miss his chance, regained his break deficit, and then won 4 consecutive games.
Aside from the score, it is the Czech’s effectiveness that stands out. The number 2 seed has been repeating his patterns since the start of the tournament, and no one seems able to bother him. The semi-finalist in Rome last week qualifies once again for the last four. He will face the Spaniard Nicolas Almagro, the number 3 seed and 12th player in the world, who defeated Pablo Andujar in a mixed-performance match. An exciting showdown in prospect…
Friday Program
Central Court
Starting at 2 PM
Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR/n°5) – Victor Hanescu (ROU) : head-to-head 1-0
Nicolas Almagro (ESP/n°3) – Tomas Berdych (RTC/n°2) : head-to-head 1-2
