FAVORITES DOMINATE IN UMAG
While the tourists enjoy their last swim in the sea today, you can already feel the adrenaline in the press center and around the stadium. Some exciting quarter finals will be played at the Croatia Open in Umag. Tonight no less than six of the eight seated players will combat for a place in the semifinals. The sixth seated Philipp Kohlschreiber (ATP-34) won his second round match quite convincingly with 6-2 7-5 of the modest Italian Paolo Lorenzi. “Till 3-1 in the second set I felt really great on court. I was in control of the match and was playing really aggressive. You could indeed say that I was in my zone. I wasn’t thinking and just played my best tennis. After that my concentration decreased a little and Lorenzi took good advantage of that. I got angry with myself for losing four games in a row and decided to move better and play every ball with full speed again. Luckily by doing this I was able to turn the match around”, Kohlschreiber told us in an exclusive interview after his match. He will now play the number one seated Gael Monfils (ATP-17). “I feel like Philipp is well prepared. I haven’t played so much. I was at home trying to recover from a foot injury I got when playing on grass at the first day of Wimbledon. It is never easy to play such a tough player as Philipp. I hope I won’t be hindered by little physical pains, because if I play good, it will be a long match for sure”, the popular Frenchman tells us when reflecting on this upcoming match.
Davis Cup buddies face each other
The Austrian talent Dominic Thiem (ATP-26) seems to be recovered from his defeats against the Dutch Haase and De Bakker during the Davis Cup last weekend. “This season I have ups and downs. Though the conditions in Umag are tough, I feel quite good here”, states Thiem. He will now play his Davis Cup buddy Andreas Haider-Maurer (ATP-61). The Croatian hope of this year is not Marin Cilic, but the young Borna Coric. He was the youngest player in the top 100 in 2014 and has now risen to place 37 worldwide. Though Coric feels a lot of pressure he continues to play convincingly, especially on the big moments. He will now play the second seated Roberto Bautista Agut (ATP-23). The last quarter final will be between Portuguese top player Joao Sousa (ATP-51) and the fifth seated Italian Fabio Fognini (ATP-33).
Tennis and holiday paradise
Next to those exciting matches, Umag has to offer more. Even on the court here is time for fun. Carlos Moya and Magnus Norman played an exhibition match to entertain the crowd. And of course when it concerns entertaining the crowd two born entertainers should be present: Goran Ivanisevic and Gael Monfils. Next to this, the tennis stadium is located next to the sea and people enjoy the sun and the water. “For the players, the conditions are tough here. When everybody is celebrating holiday, we have to work. Still, the atmosphere is great and I love to play here at night”, tells Kohlschreiber. Indeed, tennis matches continue almost till midnight and after that people can enjoy parties till late. On top of that last night the miss hostess contest took place. Umag is indeed a paradise for people who love to watch tennis, celebrate holiday and party till late.
YOU CAN SEE THE FULL PICTURES AND SLIDE SHOW.
CLICK ON ANY PHOTO AND THE PICTURES WILL BE MORE BEAUTIFUL!
