ATP Zagreb Indoors, 2nd round

Filip Jakopovic — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 04:34:50 -0500

After very interesting 1st round came even more attractive 2nd round. It brought us no big surprises, but plenty of great tennis. Powered by the small but loud Croatian audience in Dom Sportova, Zagreb, 2 Croatian players reached the QF.

1st seeded Croatian player Ivan Ljubici beat other Croatian player, Lovro Zovko. It seemed to be a routine match for Ljubicic, although the result indicates that it was a tough battle, with Ljubicic winning 6-4, 7-6.

The best match was definetly one between Stefan Koubek of Austria and Olivier Rochus of Belgium. It was a great match in which the spectators could see two very different sets. In first set, which was much a like to the first set of Koubek-Skugor match, Koubek couldn't find rhytm and Rochus won 6-2. The second set was a though battle in which both players could have won, but Lady luck smiled to Olivier Rochus this time. He won the second set 6-4.

The biggest surprise of the day was a match between two up and coming players, Marin Cilic, 5th seeded player from Croatia and an Italian Simone Bolelli. Even though Cilic had the crowd on his side, it didn't seem enough. He was trying real hard but he never really got going. Bolelli won 6-4, 6-3. This match showed us that Bolelli is surely going to be a threat in Croatia - Italy Davis Cup match.

Other results: Gabasvili Teimuraz (RUS) - Rik de Voest (RSA) 7-5, 6-1; (3)Gilles Simon (FRA) - Robin Haase (NED) 2-6, 4-6; Denis Gremelmayr (GER) - Mario Ancic (CRO) 3-6, 2-6; (8)Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) - Roko Karanusic (CRO) 6-3, 6-7, 6-4; Viktor Troicki (SRB) - Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) 7-6, 3-6, 6-4.

After seeing 3 days of great tennis in Zagreb, we should hope of some great matches in the QF, where apsolute surprise of the turnament so far, Ukranian Sergiy Stakhovsky, a lucky loser from the qualifications, who already beat second seeded Karlovic and young Serb Troicki, is playing 8th seeded Tipsarevic.

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ATP Zagreb Indoors, 2nd round