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2/6/09 4:51 PM | Ricky Dimon
Viktor Troicki takes out 2008 champion Sergiy Stakhovsky on Friday afternoon in the Zagreb quarterfinals. Troicki will face either Marin Cilic or Antonio Veic for a spot in the title match.
There will be a new champion of the PBZ Zagreb Indoors in 2009.
Sergiy Stakhovsky, who got a lucky loser entry into last year's main draw and ended up winning the title, fell to Viktor Troicki 6-3, 6-2 in the quarterfinals on Friday afternoon. Troicki needed just one hour and seven minutes to ease his way through this all-unseeded affair.
Stakhovsky defeated Troicki in the second round last season en route to the title, but it was clear right from the start that things were going to be different this time around. Troicki seized an early break of serve in the first set and never looked back. The 6'4'' Serb saved two break points on his way to a 5-3 lead, and a second break of Stakhovsky finished off the opening frame of play in impressive style.
More of the same continued in set two. Stakhovsky, who put in 83 percent of his first serves in set one, saw his service level drop considerably in the second and that allowed his opponent to break with even greater ease than he had in the first. The match was all but over when Troicki's third break of the match gave the No. 49 player in the world a 2-1 lead. Just as he did in the opener, Troicki took care of his own serve the rest of the way and then finished off the set--this time the match--with another break.
Troicki's return game especially carried him into the semifinals, where he will take on one of two Croats; either No. 2 seed Marin Cilic or wildcard Antonio Veic. Troicki won 18 (of 47) points against the Ukrainian's first serve and jumped all over his second-serve looks, winning 12 of 18 (67 percent) points. Saving all three of the break points he faced over two sets also aided Troicki's efforts.
The Serb is 0-2 lifetime against Cilic and has never faced Veic.
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Troicki has had an awesome week and has a great shot at the upset over Cilic
JohnnyM , 2/6/09 10:06 PM