Match report

Stanislas Wawrinka © Tennistalk.com
ATP Masters Series Hamburg
2nd round
5/14/08 1 2 Tot
ch  Stanislas Wawrinka 5 5 0
de  Nicolas Kiefer 7 7 2
Nicolas Kiefer © Tennistalk.com

  • Kiefer rolls back the years in Hamburg

    5/15/08 12:04 AM | David Cox
    Clay and Nicholas Kiefer have rarely been a successful combination in the past. However, the vocal backing of a strong home crowd has seen the German rediscover some of the old magic and he stunned the latest member of the top 10 Stanislas Wawrinka 7-5, 7-5 today.

    It’s the first time he’s reached this stage in Hamburg for 7 years, losing to Santoro in the last 16 back in 2001.

    Kiefer started the stronger of the two, off to an early 4-2 lead, he was soon pegged back though, a ferocious forehand pass getting Wawrinka back on level terms. However, the Swiss was unable to hold his nerve in a tense game at 5-6, putting a backhand wide on set point. It evidently meant a lot to Kiefer, he reacted as though he’d won the entire tournament !

    The adrenaline was flowing freely in set 2, fist pumps and cries of “C’mon” coming in quick succession. Wawrinka appeared to have done enough to force a decider when a stunning backhand down the line gave him 5-4. Serving for the set, the big shots deserted him and Kiefer hit back. Two games later it was a similar story for the Swiss, he slipped to 15-40 and another backhand error gave Kiefer a memorable win.

    He was optimistic about his chances against Davydenko on Thursday. “Nikolay is very tough of course - especially on clay,” he said. “He is very consistent. Of course I have to play even better tomorrow. My advantage is, I will go out on court, and even if I don’t play my best tennis, I will run and try to play my game, play aggressively again. I know the audience is on my side, and that will help me as well.”

    Juan Monaco was surprisingly never troubled by Simone Bolelli, easing to a 6-2, 6-1 win

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