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CricketWeb Tennis - Season I
- Thread starter SirBloody Idiot
- Start date
SirBloody Idiot
Cricketer Of The Year
Costa do Souipe; Rotterdam; San Jose (R32) - Feb 9-15 Season I
Brasil Open
Round of 32 - Costa do Sauipe
Competition Details
Draw - Top Half
Draw - Bottom Half
Second seed Sven Oxenstierna continued his impressive run of form into the top ten with an elementary straight sets victory over Brazilian qualifier Marzio Claverini. The world number ten came into his round of 32 clash against the local player as raging favourite, but struggled early as he fell behind 2-0. But showing the form that has acted the catalyst for his meteoric rise in world tennis, Oxenstierna struck back to win four games on the trot to take an eventually unassailable 4-2 lead. After claiming the first, "The Ox" had it much easier in the second after an early couple of breaks gave him enough breathing distance to claim a 6-4 6-4 win without really raising a sweat.
Jamee Hancianu also took an impressive first round victory over world number 54 Matthew Tobin. The Australian managed to stay close to Hancianu throughout the first set as the two exchanged breaks of service in an edgy opener. But with the scores level at 5-5, Hancianu struck gold as an unforced error for Tobin gave the CWLander a chance to serve out the opening set - a chance he took with both hands. From there the Australian never really troubled the world number 62 - Hancianu setting up a second round clash with sixth seed Sanchez Emelio. Qualifier Randy Smeltz will also face a seeded player with an odd victory over Ukraine's Viktor Vuriak. Vuriak dropped two of the sets 0-6 1-6, but managed to stem the carnage in the middle to actually level the match at a set apiece. Smeltz recovered from the disappointing middle set to book end the match with dominant displays to record his first professional victory in style - running out a 6-0 3-6 6-1 victor.
On the other half of the draw, Jojo Mustard made it four-from-four for CWLanders with a straight sets win over local veteran Carlos Machado. The 28-year old Brazilian certainly made Mustard work for his victory in a gritty display riddled by unforced errors and long rallies. Whilst Mustard eventually advanced 6-4 7-5, he will have to lift his game in his second match against qualifier Aldo Marín who produced a stunning upset to knock out eighth seeded Puerto Rican Domingo Gutiérrez Gómez.
Seeds out: 4-Dmitry Orlov (RUS); 8-Domingo Gutiérrez Gómez (PUR).
ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
Round of 32 - Rotterdam
Competition Details
Draw - Top Half
Draw - Bottom Half
World number 33 Jefferson Drake managed to advance in a draw jam packed with superstars in his opening round clash in Rotterdam against Uzbek Anvar Juraev. The tenacious 23-year old engaged in a surprising struggle against the man one year his junior as the match was taken to three vastly different sets. Drake was clearly the better player in the first set as he was untroubled on his own service by Juraev whilst managing to break his opponent's service twice. But the 6-2 margin should have filled the CWLander with confidence, but it instead lit a fire under Juraev who powered back into the contest to demolish Drake in the second set 6-2. But Drake managed to flip the match on its head again and coast to victory 6-2 2-6 6-2, but will be left to ponder his form ahead of a showdown against Italian veteran Antonio Bachunelli.
For Sven Svensson and qualifier Brett Read, their Rotterdam journies came to an end in their respective first round clashes. For Svensson, he surprised all by claiming the first set against American Eric Henson in dominant style 6-2. But the undoubted class of the slightly younger Henson twin shone through as he rallied back into the contest to take the second set in a tiebreaker and clinch the decider in emphatic style to seal a tough 2-6 7-6(4) 6-3 victory. For the qualifier Read, the promising form he showed in qualifier was all for naught as he was thoroughly smashed by Ukraine's Roman Dorogan. Doragan took little over fifty minutes to dispatch the CWLander, advancing to the round of 16 with a 6-3 6-1 demolition job.
Seeds out: 7-Diego Hurtado (COL).
SAP Open
Round of 32 - San Jose
Competition Details
Draw - Top Half
Draw - Bottom Half
Wildcard Jean-Paul Valley produced one of the upsets of the first round in San Jose at the SAP Open as he upstaged world number 88 Sébastien Lachance in a tight three set clash. The enigmatic Valley came back from a set down to edge out Lachance in a see-sawing encounter - Valley's dogged spirit proving enough to upstage the flamboyant Frenchman. Valley looked the lesser player in the first set as he struggled on his serve en route to falling behind a set, but tightened his game up significantly in the second to claim it in a tiebreaker. The breakthrough was enough for Valley as he set up a second round clash with Oliver Engel with a breezy third set win - advancing 2-6 7-6(5) 6-2.
Elsewhere, Billy Spleen was in tantalising form with a 6-1 6-2 thrashing of wildcard Samuel Thorpe of the United States. Spleen was only on court for 47 minutes in his routing of the 26-year old, exhibiting all of his finesse which has seen some label the 19-year old as the next big thing in CWLand tennis. His game wasn't all deft touch, though, as he smashed seven aces and a number of quite brilliant winners en route to his crushing win. Spleen will face a much tougher second round clash, though, as he faces seventh seed Hugh James and must remain alert against the highly rated American.
Two CWLanders exited in the opening round in different circumstances - the seeded Mat Mitchell and qualifier Spas Delev suffered disappointing opening losses. The eighth seed Mitchell was upset by Luxembourg's Oliver Engel in three sets despite having taken a 3-0 lead in the third-and-final set. The fighting Engel stormed back into the contest after having dropped the second set to set up a showdown with Spleen with an impressive 6-4 4-6 7-5 victory. Delev was less impressive against fourth seed Zoltan Varga as he fell in straight sets. To Delev's credit, he stuck with his higher ranked opponent in the first set before falling in the final game, but proved no match in the second as Varga cruised to an emphatic 7-5 6-1 victory.
Seeds out: 8-Mat Mitchell (CWL).
Brasil Open
Round of 32 - Costa do Sauipe
Competition Details
Draw - Top Half
Draw - Bottom Half
Second seed Sven Oxenstierna continued his impressive run of form into the top ten with an elementary straight sets victory over Brazilian qualifier Marzio Claverini. The world number ten came into his round of 32 clash against the local player as raging favourite, but struggled early as he fell behind 2-0. But showing the form that has acted the catalyst for his meteoric rise in world tennis, Oxenstierna struck back to win four games on the trot to take an eventually unassailable 4-2 lead. After claiming the first, "The Ox" had it much easier in the second after an early couple of breaks gave him enough breathing distance to claim a 6-4 6-4 win without really raising a sweat.
Jamee Hancianu also took an impressive first round victory over world number 54 Matthew Tobin. The Australian managed to stay close to Hancianu throughout the first set as the two exchanged breaks of service in an edgy opener. But with the scores level at 5-5, Hancianu struck gold as an unforced error for Tobin gave the CWLander a chance to serve out the opening set - a chance he took with both hands. From there the Australian never really troubled the world number 62 - Hancianu setting up a second round clash with sixth seed Sanchez Emelio. Qualifier Randy Smeltz will also face a seeded player with an odd victory over Ukraine's Viktor Vuriak. Vuriak dropped two of the sets 0-6 1-6, but managed to stem the carnage in the middle to actually level the match at a set apiece. Smeltz recovered from the disappointing middle set to book end the match with dominant displays to record his first professional victory in style - running out a 6-0 3-6 6-1 victor.
On the other half of the draw, Jojo Mustard made it four-from-four for CWLanders with a straight sets win over local veteran Carlos Machado. The 28-year old Brazilian certainly made Mustard work for his victory in a gritty display riddled by unforced errors and long rallies. Whilst Mustard eventually advanced 6-4 7-5, he will have to lift his game in his second match against qualifier Aldo Marín who produced a stunning upset to knock out eighth seeded Puerto Rican Domingo Gutiérrez Gómez.
Seeds out: 4-Dmitry Orlov (RUS); 8-Domingo Gutiérrez Gómez (PUR).
ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
Round of 32 - Rotterdam
Competition Details
Draw - Top Half
Draw - Bottom Half
World number 33 Jefferson Drake managed to advance in a draw jam packed with superstars in his opening round clash in Rotterdam against Uzbek Anvar Juraev. The tenacious 23-year old engaged in a surprising struggle against the man one year his junior as the match was taken to three vastly different sets. Drake was clearly the better player in the first set as he was untroubled on his own service by Juraev whilst managing to break his opponent's service twice. But the 6-2 margin should have filled the CWLander with confidence, but it instead lit a fire under Juraev who powered back into the contest to demolish Drake in the second set 6-2. But Drake managed to flip the match on its head again and coast to victory 6-2 2-6 6-2, but will be left to ponder his form ahead of a showdown against Italian veteran Antonio Bachunelli.
For Sven Svensson and qualifier Brett Read, their Rotterdam journies came to an end in their respective first round clashes. For Svensson, he surprised all by claiming the first set against American Eric Henson in dominant style 6-2. But the undoubted class of the slightly younger Henson twin shone through as he rallied back into the contest to take the second set in a tiebreaker and clinch the decider in emphatic style to seal a tough 2-6 7-6(4) 6-3 victory. For the qualifier Read, the promising form he showed in qualifier was all for naught as he was thoroughly smashed by Ukraine's Roman Dorogan. Doragan took little over fifty minutes to dispatch the CWLander, advancing to the round of 16 with a 6-3 6-1 demolition job.
Seeds out: 7-Diego Hurtado (COL).
SAP Open
Round of 32 - San Jose
Competition Details
Draw - Top Half
Draw - Bottom Half
Wildcard Jean-Paul Valley produced one of the upsets of the first round in San Jose at the SAP Open as he upstaged world number 88 Sébastien Lachance in a tight three set clash. The enigmatic Valley came back from a set down to edge out Lachance in a see-sawing encounter - Valley's dogged spirit proving enough to upstage the flamboyant Frenchman. Valley looked the lesser player in the first set as he struggled on his serve en route to falling behind a set, but tightened his game up significantly in the second to claim it in a tiebreaker. The breakthrough was enough for Valley as he set up a second round clash with Oliver Engel with a breezy third set win - advancing 2-6 7-6(5) 6-2.
Elsewhere, Billy Spleen was in tantalising form with a 6-1 6-2 thrashing of wildcard Samuel Thorpe of the United States. Spleen was only on court for 47 minutes in his routing of the 26-year old, exhibiting all of his finesse which has seen some label the 19-year old as the next big thing in CWLand tennis. His game wasn't all deft touch, though, as he smashed seven aces and a number of quite brilliant winners en route to his crushing win. Spleen will face a much tougher second round clash, though, as he faces seventh seed Hugh James and must remain alert against the highly rated American.
Two CWLanders exited in the opening round in different circumstances - the seeded Mat Mitchell and qualifier Spas Delev suffered disappointing opening losses. The eighth seed Mitchell was upset by Luxembourg's Oliver Engel in three sets despite having taken a 3-0 lead in the third-and-final set. The fighting Engel stormed back into the contest after having dropped the second set to set up a showdown with Spleen with an impressive 6-4 4-6 7-5 victory. Delev was less impressive against fourth seed Zoltan Varga as he fell in straight sets. To Delev's credit, he stuck with his higher ranked opponent in the first set before falling in the final game, but proved no match in the second as Varga cruised to an emphatic 7-5 6-1 victory.
Seeds out: 8-Mat Mitchell (CWL).
Last edited:
Mister Wright
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Pretty sure the links for the Brasil Open are the same for the SAP Open. Anyway, good to see Mustard still going strong.
SirBloody Idiot
Cricketer Of The Year
Fixed.
Mister Wright
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Thanks mate.
cricketboy29
International Regular
*sigh*..not a good day allround in sport for me.
SirBloody Idiot
Cricketer Of The Year
Costa do Souipe; Rotterdam; San Jose (R16) - Feb 9-15 Season I
Brasil Open
Round of 16 - Costa do Sauipe
Competition Details
Draw - Top Half
Draw - Bottom Half
CWLand will have a surprising three competitors in the Costa do Sauipe quarterfinals as all but Randy Smeltz made it through the second round in the Brasil Open. The qualifier Smeltz faced a difficult task in facing seventh seed Marcelo Alavos, but managed to put up an impressive fight to take the match to three sets. With the match level at a set each, Alavos broke early in the third and that was enough as games went on service from thereout - the Paraguan sealing a spot in the quarters with a 6-3 4-6 6-4 victory.
In the top half, Jojo Mustard set up a big showdown with the top seed as he waltzed past Aldo Marín of Paraguay in straight sets. The qualifier Marín looked out of his depth against the Australian-born CWLander as he managed just the opening game of the set. Whilst Mustard was clinical in the first set, Marín played a much more crisp game in the second set as he managed to send it to a tiebreaker. But the impressive Mustard pulled through to set up a clash with out-of-form Illya Altman after a 6-1 7-6(4) victory. Elsewhere, Jamee Hancianu overcame a one-set and four-game deficit to defeat sixth seeded Spaniard Sanchez Emelio in three sets. The world number 48 Emelio continued his disappointing form this season as he lacked any real fire against the impressive youngster Hancianu. Up 6-4 5-1, Emelio looked as if he would easily defeat Hancianu - but the CWLander won six games on the trot to level the match at a set each. Whilst the third set was tight, Emelio was unimpressive as Hancianu took full advantage to seal one of the biggest wins of his career with an ace - 4-6 7-5 7-5.
Hancianu will face an even tougher prospect in the quarterfinal as he faces compatriot Sven Oxenstierna. The second seed looms as an outside chance to take the Roland Garros crown later this season as his exceptional clay court form continued - outclassing Gregor Gorshkov in straight sets. It was an odd contest as "The Ox" let his concentration slip in the second set after claiming the first 6-0; Gorshkov taking advantage of his lacklustre play to level the match at a set each. But Oxenstierna found his range again and decimated the Russian in the decider, sealing a convincing 6-0 4-6 6-0 victory.
Seeds out: 3-Davis Kennedy (CAN); 6-Sanchez Emelio.
ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
Round of 32 - Rotterdam
Competition Details
Draw - Top Half
Draw - Bottom Half
Jefferson Drake's impressive touch continued as he easily accounted for Italian Antonio Bachunelli in straight sets to book a spot in the ABN AMRO quarterfinals. Bachunelli had knocked off seventh seed Diego Hurtado in the first round, but failed to show that form in the first set as Drake wiped the floor with him 6-0. Drake quickly leapt out to a 3-0 lead in the second set, and whilst Bachunelli managed to get one break back, it wasn't enough as Drake raced through 6-0 6-4. Drake's victory gives him an imposing quarterfinal showdown against fourth seed Radivoj Daneu - a match the CWLander is not expected to win.
Seeds out: 8-Tom Vollan (NOR).
SAP Open
Round of 32 - San Jose
Competition Details
Draw - Top Half
Draw - Bottom Half
All the CWLanders are out of the SAP Open in San Jose after a disappointing second round for Billy Spleen and JP Valley. The wildcard Valley surprised again in the opening set against Luxembourg's Oliver Engel as he claimed the first set in a tiebreaker. But Engel, who defeated eighth seed Mat Mitchell in the first round, looked to improve his game significantly in the second set and came out firing to take a 5-0 lead in no time. Valley managed to avoid losing the second 0-6, but the 1-6 margin was of little comfort as Engel proceeded to seal the match convincingly with a 6(5)-7 6-1 6-3 victory. Spleen managed to take his match against Hugh James to three sets and will count himself unlucky not to have advanced. Spleen lost the opening set 7-6 where he could easily argue that he looked the better player. Spleen managed to take advantage of his opportunities in the second set as he raced out to a 4-0 lead and won it 6-1 and the seventh seeded American looked to be on the edge of elimination. But in another tight set, James prevailed in the tiebreaker again to break Spleen's heart and advance to a quarterfinal showdown with Roberto Santos.
Seeds out: 4-Zoltan Varga (HUN).
Brasil Open
Round of 16 - Costa do Sauipe
Competition Details
Draw - Top Half
Draw - Bottom Half
CWLand will have a surprising three competitors in the Costa do Sauipe quarterfinals as all but Randy Smeltz made it through the second round in the Brasil Open. The qualifier Smeltz faced a difficult task in facing seventh seed Marcelo Alavos, but managed to put up an impressive fight to take the match to three sets. With the match level at a set each, Alavos broke early in the third and that was enough as games went on service from thereout - the Paraguan sealing a spot in the quarters with a 6-3 4-6 6-4 victory.
In the top half, Jojo Mustard set up a big showdown with the top seed as he waltzed past Aldo Marín of Paraguay in straight sets. The qualifier Marín looked out of his depth against the Australian-born CWLander as he managed just the opening game of the set. Whilst Mustard was clinical in the first set, Marín played a much more crisp game in the second set as he managed to send it to a tiebreaker. But the impressive Mustard pulled through to set up a clash with out-of-form Illya Altman after a 6-1 7-6(4) victory. Elsewhere, Jamee Hancianu overcame a one-set and four-game deficit to defeat sixth seeded Spaniard Sanchez Emelio in three sets. The world number 48 Emelio continued his disappointing form this season as he lacked any real fire against the impressive youngster Hancianu. Up 6-4 5-1, Emelio looked as if he would easily defeat Hancianu - but the CWLander won six games on the trot to level the match at a set each. Whilst the third set was tight, Emelio was unimpressive as Hancianu took full advantage to seal one of the biggest wins of his career with an ace - 4-6 7-5 7-5.
Hancianu will face an even tougher prospect in the quarterfinal as he faces compatriot Sven Oxenstierna. The second seed looms as an outside chance to take the Roland Garros crown later this season as his exceptional clay court form continued - outclassing Gregor Gorshkov in straight sets. It was an odd contest as "The Ox" let his concentration slip in the second set after claiming the first 6-0; Gorshkov taking advantage of his lacklustre play to level the match at a set each. But Oxenstierna found his range again and decimated the Russian in the decider, sealing a convincing 6-0 4-6 6-0 victory.
Seeds out: 3-Davis Kennedy (CAN); 6-Sanchez Emelio.
ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
Round of 32 - Rotterdam
Competition Details
Draw - Top Half
Draw - Bottom Half
Jefferson Drake's impressive touch continued as he easily accounted for Italian Antonio Bachunelli in straight sets to book a spot in the ABN AMRO quarterfinals. Bachunelli had knocked off seventh seed Diego Hurtado in the first round, but failed to show that form in the first set as Drake wiped the floor with him 6-0. Drake quickly leapt out to a 3-0 lead in the second set, and whilst Bachunelli managed to get one break back, it wasn't enough as Drake raced through 6-0 6-4. Drake's victory gives him an imposing quarterfinal showdown against fourth seed Radivoj Daneu - a match the CWLander is not expected to win.
Seeds out: 8-Tom Vollan (NOR).
SAP Open
Round of 32 - San Jose
Competition Details
Draw - Top Half
Draw - Bottom Half
All the CWLanders are out of the SAP Open in San Jose after a disappointing second round for Billy Spleen and JP Valley. The wildcard Valley surprised again in the opening set against Luxembourg's Oliver Engel as he claimed the first set in a tiebreaker. But Engel, who defeated eighth seed Mat Mitchell in the first round, looked to improve his game significantly in the second set and came out firing to take a 5-0 lead in no time. Valley managed to avoid losing the second 0-6, but the 1-6 margin was of little comfort as Engel proceeded to seal the match convincingly with a 6(5)-7 6-1 6-3 victory. Spleen managed to take his match against Hugh James to three sets and will count himself unlucky not to have advanced. Spleen lost the opening set 7-6 where he could easily argue that he looked the better player. Spleen managed to take advantage of his opportunities in the second set as he raced out to a 4-0 lead and won it 6-1 and the seventh seeded American looked to be on the edge of elimination. But in another tight set, James prevailed in the tiebreaker again to break Spleen's heart and advance to a quarterfinal showdown with Roberto Santos.
Seeds out: 4-Zoltan Varga (HUN).
Mister Wright
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Big challenge against the #1 seed in the quarter final. Would be great to win the match, but even if Mustard doesn't it's been a great tournament.
dontcloseyoureyes
BARNES OUT
Pumped for the Quarters. He's going down.
Magrat Garlick
Global Moderator
Another QF 
And tbh, not the strongest of opposition on the way to the final either
And tbh, not the strongest of opposition on the way to the final either
SirBloody Idiot
Cricketer Of The Year
Costa do Souipe; Rotterdam; San Jose (QFs) - Feb 9-15 Season I
Brasil Open
Quarterfinals - Costa do Sauipe
Competition Details
Finals
In a real surprise, CWLand youngster Jamee Hancianu managed to qualify for the the Brasil Open semifinals with an upset victory over compatriot Sven Oxenstierna. Pre-match, "The Ox" had admitted that he had been handed a relatively easy draw - but was soon surprised by the determined Hancianu who more than pulled his own weight in the contest. Oxenstierna managed to break service in the fifth game of the opening set and looked to break the set open as he advanced to a 4-2 lead. But the Romanian-born teenager Hancianu was not going to roll over that quickly as he powered back into the contest to break back and level the set at four games each. The first set went to a tiebreaker and Hancianu quickly exercised his authority to take an unassailable 5-0 lead. Oxenstierna made a late comeback, but it wasn't enough as Hancianu took the all-important opening set 7-6.
Oxenstierna again broke early in the second set and this time made sure that his break of service would count as he held his 4-2 lead. Hancianu would be broken again by the wily world number ten who seemed determined to make the Brasil Open his first tournament victory. But after losing the second set 3-6, Hancianu also looked to make Oxenstierna eat his words as he kept up with the second seed. With the scores locked at five all, Hancianu got the cruicial break of service with a fantastic return winner which even made a grudging Oxenstierna applaud his younger opponent. Hancianu would serve out the match with just hif third ace to seal the biggest win of his career and to set up a semifinal clash with Marcelo Alavos.
The winner of Hancianu-Alavos will face either top seed Illya Altman or Juan Moreno in the final after both men had simple straight sets victories in their quarterfinals. Altman, who had yet to really find his form this tournament following two three-set victories, regained his best touch as he obliterated CWLand's Jojo Mustard in just forty minutes. Mustard managed to win only the first game of the match before losing the next twelve on the trot as he bowed out in humiliating circumstances.
Seeds out: 2-Sven Oxenstierna (CWL).
ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
Quarterfinals - Rotterdam
Competition Details
Finals
Jefferson Drake's run at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament came to an abrupt end in the quarterfinals as he fell to fourth seeded Serb Radivoj Daneu. The world number six had little trouble in accounting for the tricky CWLander who never really managed to recapture the form he showed in his victories over Anvar Juraev and Antonio Bachunelli. Daneu claimed the first set 6-4 but looked like he lacked confidence on occasions against the self-proclaimed grass court specialist. In the second set, however, Daneu's experience on the harder courts allowed him to race out to an early lead and to claim the match 6-4 6-3 to set up a semifinal showdown with Jason Hall. For Drake, the loss will be disappointing but will provide him much-needed experience on the harder courts.
Top seed Jason Hall did manage to advance to the semifinals but not after a scare as he came the closest he has come to a loss in the Open Era. Hall dropped the opening set to compatriot Eric Henson and came perilously close to defeat in the third set tiebreaker as he was down one match point. But the Australian Open Champion managed to edge past the 28-year old Henson to escape with a victory and keep his hopes alive for a third tournament victory.
Seeds out: 2-Radek Špidla (CZE); 3-Rasmus Olesen (NOR).
SAP Open
Quarterfinals - San Jose
Competition Details
Finals
Top seed Darcy Cowan will face off against fellow American Wayne Boyd in the first semifinal at the SAP Open after a three set win of Luxembourg's Oliver Engel. Cowan was troubled on occasions but ultimately advanced comfortably in the third to remain the favourite to claim the title in San Jose. On the bottom half of the draw, unseeded Roberto Santos will face Norwegian qualifier Kim Vollan in the second semifinal after both men upset seeded opponents. Vollan's victory was especially surprising as he upstaged second seed Dwayne Murdoch in the tightest of straight set matches - advancing 7-6(5) 7-6(3).
Seeds out: 2-Dwayne Murdoch (USA); 3-Morgan Carter (USA); 7-Hugh James (USA).
Brasil Open
Quarterfinals - Costa do Sauipe
Competition Details
Finals
In a real surprise, CWLand youngster Jamee Hancianu managed to qualify for the the Brasil Open semifinals with an upset victory over compatriot Sven Oxenstierna. Pre-match, "The Ox" had admitted that he had been handed a relatively easy draw - but was soon surprised by the determined Hancianu who more than pulled his own weight in the contest. Oxenstierna managed to break service in the fifth game of the opening set and looked to break the set open as he advanced to a 4-2 lead. But the Romanian-born teenager Hancianu was not going to roll over that quickly as he powered back into the contest to break back and level the set at four games each. The first set went to a tiebreaker and Hancianu quickly exercised his authority to take an unassailable 5-0 lead. Oxenstierna made a late comeback, but it wasn't enough as Hancianu took the all-important opening set 7-6.
Oxenstierna again broke early in the second set and this time made sure that his break of service would count as he held his 4-2 lead. Hancianu would be broken again by the wily world number ten who seemed determined to make the Brasil Open his first tournament victory. But after losing the second set 3-6, Hancianu also looked to make Oxenstierna eat his words as he kept up with the second seed. With the scores locked at five all, Hancianu got the cruicial break of service with a fantastic return winner which even made a grudging Oxenstierna applaud his younger opponent. Hancianu would serve out the match with just hif third ace to seal the biggest win of his career and to set up a semifinal clash with Marcelo Alavos.
The winner of Hancianu-Alavos will face either top seed Illya Altman or Juan Moreno in the final after both men had simple straight sets victories in their quarterfinals. Altman, who had yet to really find his form this tournament following two three-set victories, regained his best touch as he obliterated CWLand's Jojo Mustard in just forty minutes. Mustard managed to win only the first game of the match before losing the next twelve on the trot as he bowed out in humiliating circumstances.
Seeds out: 2-Sven Oxenstierna (CWL).
ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
Quarterfinals - Rotterdam
Competition Details
Finals
Jefferson Drake's run at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament came to an abrupt end in the quarterfinals as he fell to fourth seeded Serb Radivoj Daneu. The world number six had little trouble in accounting for the tricky CWLander who never really managed to recapture the form he showed in his victories over Anvar Juraev and Antonio Bachunelli. Daneu claimed the first set 6-4 but looked like he lacked confidence on occasions against the self-proclaimed grass court specialist. In the second set, however, Daneu's experience on the harder courts allowed him to race out to an early lead and to claim the match 6-4 6-3 to set up a semifinal showdown with Jason Hall. For Drake, the loss will be disappointing but will provide him much-needed experience on the harder courts.
Top seed Jason Hall did manage to advance to the semifinals but not after a scare as he came the closest he has come to a loss in the Open Era. Hall dropped the opening set to compatriot Eric Henson and came perilously close to defeat in the third set tiebreaker as he was down one match point. But the Australian Open Champion managed to edge past the 28-year old Henson to escape with a victory and keep his hopes alive for a third tournament victory.
Seeds out: 2-Radek Špidla (CZE); 3-Rasmus Olesen (NOR).
SAP Open
Quarterfinals - San Jose
Competition Details
Finals
Top seed Darcy Cowan will face off against fellow American Wayne Boyd in the first semifinal at the SAP Open after a three set win of Luxembourg's Oliver Engel. Cowan was troubled on occasions but ultimately advanced comfortably in the third to remain the favourite to claim the title in San Jose. On the bottom half of the draw, unseeded Roberto Santos will face Norwegian qualifier Kim Vollan in the second semifinal after both men upset seeded opponents. Vollan's victory was especially surprising as he upstaged second seed Dwayne Murdoch in the tightest of straight set matches - advancing 7-6(5) 7-6(3).
Seeds out: 2-Dwayne Murdoch (USA); 3-Morgan Carter (USA); 7-Hugh James (USA).
Mister Wright
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Just couldn't match it against the top seed. Shocking effort from Mustard.
