- News>
- Tennis
Srichapan, Schuettler, Clement power into Lyon quarters
Lyon, Oct 10: Top seed Rainer Schuettler of Germany and local favorite Arnaud Clement extended winning streaks Thursday and advanced to the quarterfinals at the Lyon Tennis Grand Prix.
Lyon, Oct 10: Top seed Rainer Schuettler of Germany and local favorite Arnaud Clement extended winning streaks Thursday and advanced to the quarterfinals at the Lyon Tennis Grand Prix.
Schuettler registered a hard-fought 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 7-5 triumph over Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic for his seventh consecutive match win.
One of only two seeds to get past the first round, Schuettler dropped the first set and faced a pair of break points before squaring the match.
"At that point, it really could have been over," the 27-year-old German said. "Down 15-40, I think I was down a few break points in the second set and with his serve, it would be tough to come back. I tried to play more aggressive when I was down at that point."
In the decisive set, Ljubicic was down a break but forced a 5-5 tie before Schuettler pulled it out. He is seeking a second straight win after claiming his first title of the year at Tokyo.
"Coming from Tokyo, I'm tired, certainly, but I'd rather win and be tired than lose and feel fresh," Schuettler said. "I'm feeling fine, though. There's not many weeks left in the season, so I should have no problem."
Clement, a Frenchman who triumphed last week at the Open de Moselle, also made it seven straight match wins with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Spain's Fernando Vicente.
"I can really say that every match I have gained confidence," Clement said. "I feel really confident on big points at the moment. Playing in Lyon is really special. I have a good connection with the crowd."
No. 3 Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand, the only other seed left in the tournament, moved on with a 6-3, 6-2 rout of Belgium's Olivier Rochus.
In other matches, Moroccan qualifier Hicham Arazi swept past French wild card Nicolas Mahut, 6-2, 6-4, to reach his first ATP Tour quarterfinal since June. France's Fabrice Santoro outlasted Swiss qualifier Marc Rosset, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, and Belgium's Xavier Malisse eliminated Sweden's Thomas Enqvist, 6-3, 6-4, in a battle of qualifiers.
Also, American Robby Ginepri rallied past France's Cyril Saulnier, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Asked what changed in the final two sets, Ginepri replied, "Who knows? I think it was just a few bad points that I played on my serve in the first set that made the difference. Luckily, I was able to hang in there, and I think his level of play dropped a bit."
Bureau Report
Schuettler registered a hard-fought 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 7-5 triumph over Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic for his seventh consecutive match win.
One of only two seeds to get past the first round, Schuettler dropped the first set and faced a pair of break points before squaring the match.
"At that point, it really could have been over," the 27-year-old German said. "Down 15-40, I think I was down a few break points in the second set and with his serve, it would be tough to come back. I tried to play more aggressive when I was down at that point."
In the decisive set, Ljubicic was down a break but forced a 5-5 tie before Schuettler pulled it out. He is seeking a second straight win after claiming his first title of the year at Tokyo.
"Coming from Tokyo, I'm tired, certainly, but I'd rather win and be tired than lose and feel fresh," Schuettler said. "I'm feeling fine, though. There's not many weeks left in the season, so I should have no problem."
Clement, a Frenchman who triumphed last week at the Open de Moselle, also made it seven straight match wins with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Spain's Fernando Vicente.
"I can really say that every match I have gained confidence," Clement said. "I feel really confident on big points at the moment. Playing in Lyon is really special. I have a good connection with the crowd."
No. 3 Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand, the only other seed left in the tournament, moved on with a 6-3, 6-2 rout of Belgium's Olivier Rochus.
In other matches, Moroccan qualifier Hicham Arazi swept past French wild card Nicolas Mahut, 6-2, 6-4, to reach his first ATP Tour quarterfinal since June. France's Fabrice Santoro outlasted Swiss qualifier Marc Rosset, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, and Belgium's Xavier Malisse eliminated Sweden's Thomas Enqvist, 6-3, 6-4, in a battle of qualifiers.
Also, American Robby Ginepri rallied past France's Cyril Saulnier, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Asked what changed in the final two sets, Ginepri replied, "Who knows? I think it was just a few bad points that I played on my serve in the first set that made the difference. Luckily, I was able to hang in there, and I think his level of play dropped a bit."
Bureau Report