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5/17/08 1:15 AM | David Cox
With the other 3 quarter-finals being disappointingly one-sided, the Hamburg crowd certainly got their money’s worth in this match, they were treated to an absolute classic. Seppi crushed hopes of a home presence still in the draw over the weekend, clinching victory 6-3, 5-7, 7-5 in 3hrs13min
He definitely feels at home in these settings having made the quarter-finals in Hamburg 3 years ago, losing to eventual finalist Richard Gasquet that day.
Looking to go one better this time, Seppi set the tone in game 1, stroking a backhand pass on the run. He hit the ground running and was soon a double break up. Kiefer reduced the deficit at 2-5 but any comeback hopes were ended when he dropped serve again in the next game - an air shot on set point
Seppi continued to play with calm assurance and looked certain of a quick victory. Kiefer reached this stage thanks to a high tempo game plan and aggressive net play but it wasn’t proving nearly as effective as in his first 3 matches, he simply found himself an easy target for the Seppi backhand.
However, for all his shotmaking prowess, Kiefer can be a gritty fighter when the need aries, from 3-6, 2-5 he launched an astonishing comeback, getting the break back at 3-5 with a backhand down the line which brought the crowd to their feet. With Seppi coming to terms that the match was still very much alive, Kiefer reeled off another 3 games, breaking to love and soon the momentum had completely switched
Now it was Kiefer pressurizing at every opportunity and he really had Seppi on the ropes in the final set with his classy touches around the net. He led 4-2 and 5-3 with several chances to make it dead and buried. However there was one last twist in the tale. Kiefer couldn’t serve it out and he was punished for his profligacy. Seppi missed the simplest of backhands on his first match point at 6-5 but made no mistake on the second, nailing a return to book a semi-final with Federer
Speaking afterwards Seppi was taking it all in his stride as he relived the match for the press; “It has been a great tournament for me, played my best ever tennis these past few days. I was 6-3, 5-2 up and was a little bit nervous then, lost several games to lose the set but still kept fighting. He was 5-3 up in the 3rd but got a little bit tight too. It’s always special to play in front of a crowd like this even if they are against you, the atmosphere was great. I like the courts here, they’re a little bit heavier than the normal clay and balls are quite fast which suits me.”
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Did you know that... Legendary Björn Borg won 23 of 27 five set matches.
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Nicolas Kiefer
Andreas Seppi
ATP Masters Series Hamburg
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