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1/12/12 9:00 PM | Ricky Dimon
Philipp Kohlschreiber will continue another successful Auckland campaign on Friday against Olivier Rochus. A spot in the title match is at stake.
Philipp Kohlschreiber and Olivier Rochus will be squaring off for the fourth time in their careers when they do battle in the semifinals of the Heineken Open on Friday afternoon.
However, they have never faced each other on hard courts and their last meeting came back in 2007. Kohlschreiber leads the head-to-head series (all on clay) 2-1, with a pair of wins in 2007 following a Rochus victory in 2004.
This is an unlikely meeting so deep in a relatively strong 250-point event, but the unseeded Rochus has stepped up for the occasion. The veteran Belgian dismissed Tobias Kamke in the first round and then won consecutive matches in third-set tiebreakers (over Thomaz Bellucci and Benoit Paire).
Kohlschreiber, who lost in the Doha first round to Rafael Nadal, has taken advantage of a more favorable draw this week. The German edged Stephane Bohli and Ryan Harrison in three-setters before taking out No. 2 seed Nicolas Almagro 7-6(5), 6-4 on Thursday.
This is nothing new for Kohlschreiber, as he has always been impressive in Auckland. The world No. 42 had made seven previous appearances, reaching at least the quarterfinals six times. He won the title in 2008 (beat Juan Carlos Ferrero in the final) and is now in the semis for a third time.
Rochus is in the midst of a dramatic run and it could continue, but Kohlschreiber--as his record suggests--plays with incredible confidence at this event. Look for the former champion to prevail in two tight sets.
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