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  • Monte-Carlo Second Round, Third Quarter Summary

    4/23/08 7:10 PM | Ricky Dimon
    - There appeared to be some evenly-matched second-round pairings in the third quarter of the Monte-Carlo, but little drama resulted. Not one of the four matches went to three sets, and two ended with retirements.

    Philipp Kohlschreiber d. Nicolas Kiefer 6-2, 6-4

    The higher-ranked German got the better of his opponent in this one. For Kohlschreiber, the outcome was never really in doubt as he controlled play throughout the match. Kiefer dropped serve four times at the hands of his more aggressive compatriot and he won a mere 50 percent of his first-serve points. Seven of the 15 first-serve points Kiefer won came via ace, so Kohlschreiber actually won 15 of 23 points when he got a racket on Kiefer's first delivery. Once the points got started, Kohlschreiber gave Kiefer a clay-court clinic throughout the proceedings. The No. 16 seed advances to play 4th-seeded Nikolay Davydenko in round three.

    Igor Andreev d. Mikhail Youzhny 6-3, 0-0, retired

    Another battle between countrymen produced little excitement and even ended prematurely, as No. 8 seed Mikahil Youzhny retired after losing the first set to fellow Russian Igor Andreev. Having sustained a minor injury in Davis Cup practice two weeks ago, Youzhny started off slowly and got down 3-0. A hold and a break brought Youzhny back on serve, but Andreev eventually pulled away thanks to relentless baseline pressure. Youzhny's serve also did not do enough damage on the clay (he won just 13 of 25 first-serve points) so that negated the only sizable advantage he would have over Andreev.

    Nicolas Almagro d. Juan Monaco 6-3, 3-0, retired

    Almagro crushed Monaco last week in Valencia and he was in the process of doing the same when the Argentine called it quits due to injury down 3-0 in the second set. Monaco actually started well with an early break, but the Spaniard returned the favor right back and then ran away from his opponent after that. Almagro served at a dismal 38 percent, but it did not matter at all because he completely dominated play from the back of the court. After three more brutal games of the second set, Monaco was done. Almagro's win sets up a third-round showdown with Andreev.

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