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  • Cincinnati Second Round, Third Quarter Recap

    7/31/08 6:09 AM | Ricky Dimon
    - James Blake rolled, but thrillers marked the other three second-quarter clashes. Joining Blake in round three are Ernests Gulbis, Andreas Seppi, and Novak Djokovic.

    Ernests Gulbis d. Arnaud Clement 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(5)

    This match turned out be the longest of the day (just barely at two hours and 29 minutes), and while it was not the most high-quality, it might have been the most nerve-wracking. After each winning a set by one break of serve, Clement broke midway through the third and then served for it at 5-4. The Frenchman had a match point in that game but Gulbis stormed back to level things at 5-5. Another bad service game by Gulbis gave Clement another chance to serve it out, but he promptly squandered that repeat opportunity as well. The tiebreaker was neck-and-neck until the 19-year-old Latvian came up with an incredible on-the-run forehand passing shot to secure a mini-break for 6-4 and he closed out the match on serve two points later. Gulbis' survival propels him into a third-round clash with James Blake.

    Andreas Seppi d. Tomas Berdych 5-7, 7-5, 7-5.

    Immediately following the Gulbis-Clement thriller on Court 3 of the Linder Family Tennis Center, the fans were treated to another nail-biter. In the first set it was Seppi who could not handle the pressure of the crucial moments, dropping serve at 5-6 to lose the opening frame of play. The Italian, however, turned the tables in sets two and three. Seppi broke Berdych at 5-5 in the second and served it out to level the match. The exact same scenario happened in the final set. Next up for Seppi is No. 3 Novak Djokovic.

    Novak Djokovic d. Simone Bolelli 7-6(2), 7-6(2)

    Very little other than tiebreaker performances separated these two men, and Bolelli actually should have won the first set. The up-and-coming Italian had eight break chances but capitalized on none of them, while Djokovic never had a break point. Nonetheless, Djokovic managed to get into a 'breaker and he dominated thereafter. Another tiebreaker was needed to decided set two, but only after the competitors exchanged two breaks of serve each this time around. Again the more experienced player handled the crucial moments the best and Djokovic survived for an appearance in round three.

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