Match report

Nikolay Davydenko © Tennistalk.com
ATP Masters Series Hamburg
2nd round
5/13/08 1 2 Tot
ru  Nikolay Davydenko 6 6 2
hr  Ivan Ljubicic 4 1 0
Ivan Ljubicic © Tennistalk.com

  • Routine start for Davydenko

    5/14/08 12:42 AM | David Cox
    Nicolay Davydenko made light of a potentially difficult opening draw, brushing aside Ivan Ljubicic 6-4, 6-1 in 85 minutes. It ends Davydenko’s losing streak against the Croat, going all the way back to Monte Carlo 2004 !

    Hamburg is the slowest of the 3 clay masters series and both men struggled in the early exchanges, breaks going back and forth. Davydenko made the perfect start, a forehand finding the corner to give him an immediate break. However a 4-2 lead suddenly became 4-4 and the initiative was with Ljubicic. Just as Ljubicic looked to have established himself back in the set, Davydenko struck again with a moment of sheer brilliance - Ljubicic slammed a forehand down the line and somehow Davydenko produced an outrageous backhand dropshot at full stretch from at least 6 feet behind the baseline, dipping just over the net to give him break point. Ljubicic had no chance and a few minutes later Davydenko had the opening set as his opponent’s return drifted wide

    Ljubicic was finding himself on the back foot in most of the rallies, Davydenko relentlessly pummelling the backhand corner. He wrested immediate control of set 2, again breaking in the first game and then twice more to put the match beyond doubt

    Ljubicic’s serve is such a key part of his game and he struggled to contain Davydenko (one of the best returners around) in the rallies when reduced to his second serve. He won just 5 points on his weaker delivery in the entire match and even with a first serve percentage of 62 that was always going to be costly

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ru  Nikolay Davydenko hr  Ivan Ljubicic
ATP Masters Series Hamburg  ATP Masters Series Hamburg