Djokovic rallies to advance in Rome, Berdych through
May 18, 2012, Friday
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TOP-RANKED Novak Djokovic overcame a poor first set and a smashed racket to beat 14th-seeded Juan Monaco 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 yesterday and reach the Italian Open quarterfinals.
With the wind whipping the red-clay surface into the air at the Foro Italico, Djokovic struggled with both his serve and backhand in the opening set before settling down and wearing Monaco out as the match progressed.
"It was a very strange match. It was difficult to play with that wind, but the conditions were the same for both us, he just handled it better at the start," Djokovic said, switching between Italian and English. "I was playing far too defensively and passively and he was controlling everything. He was the better player for a set and a half."
In the first set alone, Djokovic committed 22 unforced errors, 14 of which were backhands, to Monaco's 16, and got in only 47 percent of his first serves.
When Djokovic missed two consecutive backhands to hand Monaco the first set, he slammed his racket to the clay twice, breaking it on the second attempt, which drew a warning from the chair umpire.
The burst of anger appeared to help, though, as Djokovic virtually eliminated errors from his game in the second set and raised his first-serve percentage. He improved to 6-0 in his career against Monaco.
"It's not the first time and I don't think it will be the last time - I'm a player with a lot of emotion," Djokovic said of breaking his racket. "I hope kids didn't see it. But then it changed the match. ... The momentum swung to my side."
Second time
Djokovic won this tournament for the second time last year, as part of his memorable 43-match winning streak. He'll next face either fifth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or 10th-seeded Juan Martin Del Potro.
Also advancing was seventh-seeded Tomas Berdych, who eliminated 12th-seeded Nicolas Almagro 7-6 (3), 6-3. Berdych, the runner-up to Roger Federer at last week's Madrid Open, will next meet either five-time Rome champion Rafael Nadal or another Spaniard, Marcel Granollers.
Also later, Federer meets 2001 winner Juan Carlos Ferrero.
Sixth-seeded David Ferrer also reached the last eight, beating 11th-seeded Gilles Simon 6-0, 7-6 (5).
In women's action, Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova also struggled before advancing with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 win over Sorana Cirstea of Romania. Her quarterfinal opponent will be 12th-seeded Angelique Kerber, who easily beat fellow German Julia Goerges 6-4, 6-1.
With the wind whipping the red-clay surface into the air at the Foro Italico, Djokovic struggled with both his serve and backhand in the opening set before settling down and wearing Monaco out as the match progressed.
"It was a very strange match. It was difficult to play with that wind, but the conditions were the same for both us, he just handled it better at the start," Djokovic said, switching between Italian and English. "I was playing far too defensively and passively and he was controlling everything. He was the better player for a set and a half."
In the first set alone, Djokovic committed 22 unforced errors, 14 of which were backhands, to Monaco's 16, and got in only 47 percent of his first serves.
When Djokovic missed two consecutive backhands to hand Monaco the first set, he slammed his racket to the clay twice, breaking it on the second attempt, which drew a warning from the chair umpire.
The burst of anger appeared to help, though, as Djokovic virtually eliminated errors from his game in the second set and raised his first-serve percentage. He improved to 6-0 in his career against Monaco.
"It's not the first time and I don't think it will be the last time - I'm a player with a lot of emotion," Djokovic said of breaking his racket. "I hope kids didn't see it. But then it changed the match. ... The momentum swung to my side."
Second time
Djokovic won this tournament for the second time last year, as part of his memorable 43-match winning streak. He'll next face either fifth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or 10th-seeded Juan Martin Del Potro.
Also advancing was seventh-seeded Tomas Berdych, who eliminated 12th-seeded Nicolas Almagro 7-6 (3), 6-3. Berdych, the runner-up to Roger Federer at last week's Madrid Open, will next meet either five-time Rome champion Rafael Nadal or another Spaniard, Marcel Granollers.
Also later, Federer meets 2001 winner Juan Carlos Ferrero.
Sixth-seeded David Ferrer also reached the last eight, beating 11th-seeded Gilles Simon 6-0, 7-6 (5).
In women's action, Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova also struggled before advancing with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 win over Sorana Cirstea of Romania. Her quarterfinal opponent will be 12th-seeded Angelique Kerber, who easily beat fellow German Julia Goerges 6-4, 6-1.
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