Match report

Fernando Gonzalez © Tennistalk.com
Internazionali BNL d Italia
1st round
5/6/08 1 2 3 Tot
cl  Fernando Gonzalez 3 7 7 2
rs  Janko Tipsarevic 6 6 6 1
Janko Tipsarevic © Tennistalk.com

  • Gonzo sneaks through another marathon with Tipsarevic

    5/7/08 12:02 AM | David Cox
    It’s been an indifferent start to the season for Fernando Gonzalez by his standards but it’s starting to get back on track over the past couple of weeks.

    The Chilean won his 10th career title in Munich last week and he’s returning to the scene of one of his best tournaments of 2007, having made the final at the Foro Italico last year. He would have hoped for a kinder opening draw, Tipsarevic has been a tough opponent in the past, shocking him in a 5 set classic in round 3 of Wimbledon last year. However in the masters series there are no hiding places, even the elite players have to find their A game from round 1 onwards.

    An upset looked on the cards in the first set, Tipsarevic’s game plan was to attack the Gonzalez backhand and get into the net as much as possible. It worked, he broke in the opening game and cruised to take the set 6-3.

    Gonzalez started to string some consistent points together in the second, getting that forehand working and stroking several classy backhands down the line. He finally got the break to go 3-2 up but lost it to love in the next game. It didn’t matter though as he steamrollered through the resulting tiebreak 7-0, leaving Tipsarevic desperately lunging at thin air several times

    Before the decider began, the Chilean needed treatment on his right thigh and he looked to be struggling in the opening games of the third. Tipsarevic began a determined onslaught on the Gonzalez serve. He missed 4 break points but the pressure finally told and he led *2-1. It didn’t last though, Gonzalez started to rediscover the magic of the 2nd set tiebreak, reeling off 4 straight games to move ahead 5-2. Round 2 beckoned but a couple of remarkable winners from Tipsarevic swung things back in his favour and amazingly he levelled at 5-5.

    It was a tense finale with a tiebreak to decide things. It went with serve nearly all the way but Tipsarevic couldn’t hold his nerve and sent a forehand long to give Gonzalez match point at 7-6. A crushing return winner meant no way back for the Serb and Gonzalez was through in 2hrs 40min

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