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3/22/08 7:37 AM | Ricky Dimon
Mardy Fish advances to the semifinals of the Pacific Life Open by winning his second straight match in a third-set tiebreaker, this time over David Nalbandian. Fish will face No. 1 seed Roger Federer on Saturday for a spot in the final.
It was a fitting conclusion to a wild second quarter of the Pacific Life Open draw that was defined by third-set tiebreakers. A whopping six matches in this section went the maximum distance, the last of which came in a Friday quarterfinal that saw unseeded Mardy Fish outlast No. 7 seed David Nalbandian 6-3, 6-7(5), 7-6(4) in two hours and 28 minutes. It was Nalbandian’s third final-set tiebreaker of the tournament, but this time he was unable to pull it out.
Once again Nalbandian looked as if he would not even be able to take it as far as he did. Fish stormed to a set lead thanks to solid serving (six aces, 80 percent first-serve points won) and aggressive play from the baseline. The American had a chance to finish things off in straight sets, but Nalbandian came up big in the tiebreaker and overcame 10 second-set aces by Fish to level the match.
Nalbandian fell behind again in the third set. He found himself serving to stay alive at 4-5 and promptly lost three of the game’s first four points to give his opponent two chances at finishing the match right then and there. Two Fish errors, however, allowed Nalbandian to level things at deuce and he went on to hold serve. Discouraged by the squandered opportunity, Fish dropped his 5-5 service game to put the match squarely on Nalbandian’s racket. The Argentine also struggled in the pressure situation and he double-faulted at 15-40 to set up the decisive tiebreaker.
Not known for maintaining mental strength during the tough times, Fish made a statement that he is a new and improved player by owning the tiebreaker in every way. He seemed to enjoy the moment, got the crowd involved, and simply played more aggressive tennis than Nalbandian in the final moments. He finished off the match by coming into net after a rocket backhand return and putting away an overhead. Fish dropped to his knees in exultation when it ended.
Fish advances to the semifinals, where he will meet Roger Federer. The world No. 1 moved on in much different fashion, as Tommy Haas pulled out prior to the match with a sinus problem. It will be the sixth career head-to-head meeting between Fish and Federer when they square off on Saturday. Federer holds a perfect 5-0 edge over Fish, but the last victory came all the way back in 2005 at this same Masters Series event.
Fish fired 23 aces and 61 total winners
Can’t take away anything from either player, but Nalbandian let Fish control play and that double-fault a 6-5 in the final set really hurt
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Did you know that... Fernando Verdasco is a huge fan of football club Real Madrid.
RickyDimon, Oct 14, 2008 2:52 AM
agf25agf, Oct 14, 2008 1:35 AM
agf25agf, Oct 14, 2008 1:25 AM
rakten, Oct 13, 2008 4:22 PM
RickyDimon, Oct 13, 2008 3:24 PM
ballgirl, Oct 13, 2008 4:06 PM
elle, Oct 13, 2008 3:46 PM
val, Oct 11, 2008 2:10 PM
Mardy Fish
David Nalbandian
Pacific Life Open
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