UPCOMING STARS SHINE IN UMAG
Roberto Bautista Agut (ATP-23) has earned a place in the semifinals after successively defeating the Slovenian Kavcic (ATP-132) with 6-1 6-2 and the Croatian favorite of the tournament Coric (ATP-37) with 6-3 6-3. The 26 years old Bautista Agut is now playing the best tennis of his life. In 2014 the Spaniard received the ATP award for ‘most improved player of the year’ after he won his first two ATP-titles in Stuttgart and ‘s-Hertogenbosch and made his debut in the Spanish Davis Cup team. Bautista Agut now faces his good friend Joao Sousa (ATP-51). “I know him very well. We are good friends and we practice a lot together. It will be a tough match for sure. If I play my best tennis I have a chance to win”, Sousa comments on this upcoming semifinal. In the quarter finals he defeated the Italian Fognini (ATP-33). After Sousa dominated the first set with good aggressive tennis, Fognini raised his level and won the second set. Both players fought hard and finally the match had to be decided by a tiebreak in the third set. Ultimately Sousa won with 6-2 3-6 7-6(6). “We both fought hard on court and I think we both deserved to win. Unfortunately in tennis only one can win. Well…it was me”, Sousa tells us quite reserved but happy.
“We both fought hard on court and I think we both deserved to win. Unfortunately in tennis only one can win.” – Joao Sousa
Magic Monfils
The other semifinal will be between the Austrian Thiem (ATP-28) and the Frenchman Monfils (ATP-17). In his quarterfinal against country fellow Haider-Maurer (ATP-61), Thiem lost the first set after a great battle on court. After this Haider-Maurer got injured and had to retire at 7-6(5) 1-6 0-3. Thiem now faces Monfils, who fought his way back into his quarterfinal against Kohlschreiber (ATP-34). You never know what to expect from the huge talent and entertainer Monfils. After the Frenchman lost the first set and was facing a mini-break in the tiebreak of the second set he still managed to be victorious with 4-6 7-6(5) 6-4. Once again he showed his great speed and power on court. When other players would probably hit a higher and shorter ball, Monfils jumps in the air and actually smashes it unbelievably hard to the other side. The crowd loves it, and so does the smiling Monfils.
Progressions and high expectations
Three of the four players through to the semifinals are also seated first, second or fourth. Sousa is the only unseated player that is through, winning earlier in the tournament of the third seated Italian Seppi (ATP-26). Thiem, Sousa en Bautista Agut are all stars on the rise. They have made huge progressions as professional tennis players over the last two years by entering the top 50, reaching ATP-finals, winning ATP-titles and beating top ten players every now and then. We can expect exciting tennis of these guys in the heat of Umag, just as we can expect great things from the first seated Monfils.
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