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Ferrer in quarters after 7-hour on-off epic
Source: AFP |
September 6, 2012, Thursday
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SPAIN'S David Ferrer reached his fourth grand slam quarterfinal this year when he beat Richard Gasquet 7-5, 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 in a rain-hit US Open last-16 tie on Tuesday which took over seven hours to complete.
Ferrer, the top-ranked Spaniard in New York in the absence of the injured Rafael Nadal, saw off 13th-seeded Frenchman Gasquet in two hours and 54 minutes of playing time. But two lengthy rain delays meant the tie, which started shortly after 1:15pm local time, did not finish until just before 8:30pm.
Fourth seed Ferrer will face either Serb eighth seed Janko Tipsarevic or Philipp Kohlschreiber, the German 19th seed, for a place in the semifinals. Tipsarevic was 5-2 up against Kohlschreiber.
Kohlschreiber was facing another night-time battle having equalled the US Open record for a late finish when he completed his third round win over John Isner at 2:26am on Monday morning. The German reached his first grand slam quarterfinal at Wimbledon this year.
"The rain made it very difficult," said Ferrer. "But the fans have been great and I wanted to win it for them."
The 30-year-old Ferrer took a 7-1 career lead over Gasquet into the last-16 tie, having also triumphed at the same stage at the Australian Open this year. He made that 8-1 on a fifth match point. Ferrer was a semifinalist in New York in 2007 and is currently enjoying one of his best years on tour with his five titles second only to the six won this year by Roger Federer.
Victoria Azarenka survived a ferocious comeback from defending champion Sam Stosur to reach the US Open semifinals.
Azarenka traded blows with Stosur for nearly two and a half hours on a blustery Arthur Ashe Stadium court to beat the foul weather and her opponent in a 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 thriller.
The world No. 1 will play either Maria Sharapova or Marion Bartoli in the semifinals and will remain atop the world rankings regardless of how much further she goes in the tournament.
Bartoli was leading 4-0 lead against Sharapova.
Defending men's champion Novak Djokovic was leading Stanislas Wawrinka 2-0, while 2003 winner Andy Roddick and Juan Martin Del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion, had played one point of their tibreaker.
In each of the last four years, the tournament has stretched into a third week because of thunderstorms, triggering an annual debate and complaints from players and spectators over why there is still no roof over the courts. The United States Tennis Association has balked at the idea because of the enormous cost of covering Arthur Ashe Stadium, the largest tennis stadium in the world.
Ferrer, the top-ranked Spaniard in New York in the absence of the injured Rafael Nadal, saw off 13th-seeded Frenchman Gasquet in two hours and 54 minutes of playing time. But two lengthy rain delays meant the tie, which started shortly after 1:15pm local time, did not finish until just before 8:30pm.
Fourth seed Ferrer will face either Serb eighth seed Janko Tipsarevic or Philipp Kohlschreiber, the German 19th seed, for a place in the semifinals. Tipsarevic was 5-2 up against Kohlschreiber.
Kohlschreiber was facing another night-time battle having equalled the US Open record for a late finish when he completed his third round win over John Isner at 2:26am on Monday morning. The German reached his first grand slam quarterfinal at Wimbledon this year.
"The rain made it very difficult," said Ferrer. "But the fans have been great and I wanted to win it for them."
The 30-year-old Ferrer took a 7-1 career lead over Gasquet into the last-16 tie, having also triumphed at the same stage at the Australian Open this year. He made that 8-1 on a fifth match point. Ferrer was a semifinalist in New York in 2007 and is currently enjoying one of his best years on tour with his five titles second only to the six won this year by Roger Federer.
Victoria Azarenka survived a ferocious comeback from defending champion Sam Stosur to reach the US Open semifinals.
Azarenka traded blows with Stosur for nearly two and a half hours on a blustery Arthur Ashe Stadium court to beat the foul weather and her opponent in a 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 thriller.
The world No. 1 will play either Maria Sharapova or Marion Bartoli in the semifinals and will remain atop the world rankings regardless of how much further she goes in the tournament.
Bartoli was leading 4-0 lead against Sharapova.
Defending men's champion Novak Djokovic was leading Stanislas Wawrinka 2-0, while 2003 winner Andy Roddick and Juan Martin Del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion, had played one point of their tibreaker.
In each of the last four years, the tournament has stretched into a third week because of thunderstorms, triggering an annual debate and complaints from players and spectators over why there is still no roof over the courts. The United States Tennis Association has balked at the idea because of the enormous cost of covering Arthur Ashe Stadium, the largest tennis stadium in the world.
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