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  • Rogers Cup Second Round Recap

    7/24/08 6:52 AM | Ricky Dimon
    - With Roger Federer's loss, now the whole first half of the Toronto draw is wide open. Dmitry Tursunov, Nicolas Kiefer, and James Blake will look to take advantage.

    Dmitry Tursunov d. Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 7-6(6)

    Something had to give in this battle of big serves, huge forehands, and questionable mental games, and in the end it was Lopez who gave out. In the first set Tursunov played only one mediocre service game in which he had to save a break point, but other than that the Russian barely lost any points at all on serve. He had to save three in the second set, whereas Lopez picked up his serve and fired seven aces (making it eight for the match). In the tiebreaker, however, Tursunov kept his head on straight and played better at the crucial moments. Next up for Tursunov is a rematch with James Blake, whom he defeated last week in the Indianapolis semifinals.

    Nicolas Kiefer d. Mikhail Youzhny 7-6(4), 7-5

    Kiefer finished off rain-delayed play on Wednesday with an impressive victory that ended shortly after midnight. Impressive serving, including 11 aces, was simply too much for Youzhny to handle. After throwing away the first set in a tiebreaker, the Russian stayed competitive throughout the second frame of play. At 5-5, however, Youzhny finally cracked on serve and Kiefer closed out the match in routine fashion. Kiefer will take on Nikolay Davydenko in the third round.

    James Blake d. Jonas Björkman 1-6, 6-1, 6-2

    Chalk this one up as the shortest three-setter in tennis history. Despite losing the opening frame of play, Blake need just one hour and 17 minutes to race past Björkman into the third round of the Rogers Cup. A dismal showing by the American and some strong serving from the veteran Swede made for a shocking first set. Blake, however, turned things around swiftly and decisively to dominate set two. Björkman's rapidly deteriorating serve never allowed him to be competitive in the decider as Blake maintained control in every facet of the game.

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