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10/11/08 12:16 AM | Ricky Dimon
Nobody could have predicted this when the Bank Austria Tennis Trophy draw was revealed: Philipp Petzschner and Feliciano Lopez will clash for a spot in the final.
What's not terribly surprising is that this will be the first-ever head-to-head encounter between Philipp Petzschner and Feliciano Lopez. What is quite unexpected is that the matchup is taking place so late in Vienna's Bank Austria Tennis Trophy. This all-unseeded affair has the feeling of a first-round meeting, but instead a spot in the title match is on the line.
Although Lopez is the higher-ranked participant, his appearance in the semifinals might be even more surprising than that of Petzschner. The Spaniard was an atrocious 1-6 in ATP matches since Wimbledon coming into this tournament. Nonetheless, this week he has taken out Agustin Calleri in two tiebreakers, Santiago Giraldo in straight sets, and Austrian favorite Jurgen Melzer in a three-set battle.
Petzschner's run is all the more shocking due to the fact that he drew the No. 1 seed in the first round. Undaunted by the tough draw, Petzschner stunned Stanislas Wawrinka and since then has eased past Jan Hernych and Carlos Moya. This continues a rather nice stretch of tennis for the German, ranked 125th in the world, as he reached the semifinals in Bangkok two weeks ago.
This appears to be anyone's match for the taking and it should come down to just a few key points here and there. Both Lopez and Petzschner wield big serves and breaks will come at a premium on Vienna's indoor hard courts. More experience could give Lopez the slightest of edges on the big points, but the only thing that really can be expected from this unexpected match is an extremely close contest.
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Philipp Petzschner
Feliciano Lopez
BA-CA Tennis Trophy
tennis2010, Mar 22, 2010 1:50 AM
chr18, Mar 22, 2010 1:23 AM
tj600, Mar 22, 2010 1:19 AM
fan4tennis, Mar 21, 2010 10:59 PM
maxi, Mar 21, 2010 8:37 AM
RickyDimon, Mar 21, 2010 11:14 PM
vamosrafa, Mar 20, 2010 7:28 PM
vamosrafa, Mar 20, 2010 7:18 PM
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Oh my God, this guy, Lopez is such a handsome guy, I was trying to watch his matches, but unfortunately I couldn't, he's so beautiful, I simply can't follow his matches, just focusing on his face and body.
gordana , 10/11/08 10:11 AM