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  • Amersfoort Quarterfinals Recap

    7/19/08 3:01 PM | Ricky Dimon
    - Two of the top four seeds were sent packing at the Dutch Open, but two also advanced. Marc Gicquel, Steve Darcis, and Oscar Hernandez join Albert Montanes in the Amersfoort semifinals.

    Marc Gicquel d. Teimuraz Gabashvili 6-4, 6-1

    Gabashvili has been griding on the Challenger circuit most of the season and he was clearly not ready for an ATP level quarterfinal on Friday. The Russian looked almost hopeless on his own serve throughout the proceedings. In nine service games he was broken five times, winning just half of his first-serve points and only 35 percent when he had to throw in a second delivery. Gicquel, on the other hand, won 22 of 25 first-serve points and played just one poor service game in the first set. Other than that the top-seeded Frenchman allowed Gabashvili very little and he rolled into the semifinals, where he will take on Steve Darcis.

    Steve Darcis d. Christophe Rochus 7-5, 6-3

    These to diminutive Belgians exchanged breaks of serve as the opening set progressed to 5-5. At that critical point, however, Darcis held serve and then broke Rochus for a second time to take the opening frame of play. The No. 3 seed then picked up the pace and and cruised in set two. Darcis was troubled on serve just once, but he saved the only break point he faced and lost a mere six points in his last five service games.

    Oscar Hernandez d. Marcel Granollers 7-5, 6-2

    Like Darcis, Hernandez also came up big at 5-5 in the first set, although not before a minor hiccup. The unseeded Spaniard dropped serve only once in the opening frame of play and that came when serving for it at 5-4. Hernandez, however, broke right back for a 6-5 lead and this time he served out the set. Granollers offered little resistance in set two, and while he broke his opponent once, he was positively futile on serve. The Houston winner won just half of his first-serve points and three of 11 second-serve points in his final four service games. Hernandez's semifinal opponent is Albert Montanes, who crushed Jose Acasuso 6-0, 6-2.

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