RICKY DIMON REPORTS ON THE ATP MEN’S RACE TO THE BARCLAYS END OF YEAR RACE: MARIN CILIC AND DAVID FERRER OFF TO WINNING STARTS IN SHENZHEN AND KUALA LUMPUR

Written by: on 1st October 2015
Tennis Australian Open 2015
RICKY DIMON REPORTS ON THE ATP MEN'S RACE TO THE BARCLAYS END OF YEAR RACE: MARIN CILIC AND DAVID FERRER OFF TO WINNING STARTS IN SHENZHEN AND KUALA LUMPUR

epa04575002 David Ferrer of Spain in action against Sergiy Stakhovsky of the Ukraine in their second round match at the Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 22 January 2015. The Australian Open tennis tournament runs from 19 January until 01 February 2015. EPA/Narendra Shrestha  |

Trying to build on a sterling summer and put himself in contention for at least an alternate spot at the World Tour Finals, Marin Cilic kicked off his Shenzhen Open campaign with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 victory over John Millman during second-round action on Thursday. Cilic struck 12 aces and dropped serve only once while advancing in one hour and 56 minutes.

 

“I was generally happy with my performance in the first set,” the No. 2 seed assured. “In the first game of the second set, he hit good returns. Then he served really well after that. It was not easy to get back in the match. The conditions are really humid, so you have to be prepared. It’s more demanding physically, but I served well and that helped me get some free points at critical moments.”

 

Cilic is through the quarterfinals along with Hyeon Chung, Adrian Mannarino, and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.

 

David Ferrer won his opening match at the Malaysian Open 7-5, 6-3 over Radek Stepanek on Thursday night. Ferrer broke serve a whopping five times in 10 tries as he advanced to the quarterfinals after one hour and 31 minutes of play.

 

The 33-year-old Spaniard went from leading 3-1 in the first set to trailing 4-3 after dropping two consecutive service games. But he broke right back for 4-4 and never relinquished momentum the rest of the way. Although Ferrer failed to close out the proceedings at 5-1 in the second, the top seed had no trouble sealing the deal with a service hold at 5-3.

 

“This first match wasn’t easy,” Ferrer assessed. “I was feeling the jetlag a little bit, but it was the same for Radek. Now I will try to improve my game for tomorrow.”

 

The world No. 8 is joined in the quarters by Vasek Pospisil, a 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-3 winner over Marcos Baghdatis. Pospisil, who had struggled physically in their previous meeting (a Baghdatis victory this summer in Atlanta), saw his disturbing trend of cramps continue. But the Canadian fought through it and managed to get the job this time around after two hours and 28 minutes.

 

Pospisil led by a set and a break before losing six of the last seven games in the middle frame of play. The decisive break came 1-0 in the third right after Baghdatis had missed a break-point opportunity of his own in the opening game of the decider.

 

“I didn’t really have a strategy,” Pospisil admitted. “I was just trying to stand on the court, be able to play the points, and try to win. When I saw the ball I just tried to hit it hard and keep the points short. I played well, but I was just trying to get through my service games somehow. I was fortunate, for sure, to have won that.”

 

Next up for Pospisil is No. 2 seed Feliciano Lopez, while Ferrer will face Mikhail Kukushkin on Friday.

 

Briefs

* Garcia-Lopez takes out Rosol, likely up two spots to No. 27 in the world

* Chung clobbers Bedene, needs two more victories for top 50

* Kyrgios through to Kuala Lumpur quarters, can reach 34th with semifinal

* Kukushkin up two spots to No. 46 with routine defeat of Albot

* Dimitrov downs Sousa, needs another win to stay top 20

 

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand.

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