Roberto Bautista Agut came back from a set down to battle past Jiri Vesely 6-4 2-6 4-6 at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament at the Ayoy stadium in Rotterdam. Bautista Agut had to dig deep to come through his second consecutive three.set match.
Vesely got a double break in the opening set to take a 5-2 lead. Bautista Agut recovered one of the two breaks in the 8th game en route to reeling off three consecutive games for 4-5 but Vesely served out for the first set in the next game. Vesely fired 21 winners to Bautista Agut’s 7 in the first set.
Bautista Agut fought back by saving a break point in the first game of the second set to hold his serve before breaking to love in the second game for 2-0. Vesely broke straight back to love for 1-2. Bautista Agut got another break for 5-2 before closing out the second set 6-2.
The third set went on serve until 4-4 when Bautista saved a break point to take a 5-4 lead. In the 10th game Vesely saved two match points but Bautista Agut converted the only break point of the decider with a down-the-line forehand on his third match point.
Bautista Agut has a 14-2 win-loss record so far this year including two titles in Auckland and Sofia and remains in contention for his fifth career title.
Bautista Agut, who will face the winner of the match between Marcos Baghdatis and Martin Klizan in the quarter final, could meet Troicki in a potential semifinal just one week after their final in Sofia.
“I didn’t enjoy a good start as I am getting tired of all the matches I have already played this year. It was important to stay focused on my own game. I am not done here yet. I want to stay in the tournament as long as possible.
French qualifier Nicolas Mahut saw off his compatriot Jeremy Chardy 7-5 6-2 to reach the quarter finals. Mahut has reached a quarter final for the second time this season after advancing to the last eight last January in Sydney where he lost to Viktor Troicki. Mahut will take on Troicki again in the quarter finals in Rotterdam
Mahut converted his first break point chance to seal the first set on his first set point after saving three break points (including two chances at 5-5). Chardy dropped his serve twice and won just 47 percent of his first serve points in the second set. Mahut saved four break points in the second set he faced to score his first win in four head-to-head matches against Chardy.
“I am happy with the win. I was fortunate to win it in two sets, I had so many opportunities but he was serving too well. I had one more chance at set point in the first set and I took it. I was just focused on holding serve and I am happy to go through. I feel great but it’s going to be tough against Troicki, who I lost to in the Sydney quarter finals”, said Mahut.
“I do always play well in the Netherlands. I won two titles in Rosmalen on grass in 2013 and 2015. Both times as a qualifier. Maybe I always have to start as a qualifier”, said Mahut.
Mahut will face Viktor Troicki who beat 19-year-old South Korean Hyeong Chung 7-6 (7-5) 6-2. Troicki had to save three break points in the third game with a forehand and two aces but Chung converted his fourth break point chance. Troicki broke back in the 8th game to draw level to 4-all. Chung got a mini-break in the the tie-break of the first set but Troicki rallied by reeling off four consecutive points to clinch the first set 7-5. Troicki got a double break in the third game to take the second set 6-2.
Troicki won his second title in Sydney and finished runner-up to Roberto Bautista Agut in Sofia last week. He is bidding to improve his best result in Rotterdam in 2011 when he reached the semifinal.
The other two quarter finals will feature Gael Monfils vs either Alexander Zverev or Gilles Simon and Marin Cilic vs. Phillip Kohlschreiber.
