Chennai, Jan 7 (Inditop.com) Lukas Lacko of Slovakia ended the dream run of American Robby Ginepri with a workmanlike 7-6 (3), 6-4 win to qualify for the quarter-finals of the $400,000 ATP Aircel Chennai Open tennis tournament here Thursday.
Ginepri, the 27-year old from Fort Lauderdale, Florida (US), and ranked 100, was unable to reproduce the kind of form and level of play that he did when ousting top seed Robin Soderling in the first round.
The 82nd ranked Lacko, 22, was the steadier of the two and played the big points better besides serving a tad sharper than his opponent to survive the 93-minute slugfest that otherwise was a match-up between equals.
While games went with serve in the first set leading to the tie-break, Lacko shrugged off a 1-3 deficit and broke Ginepri twice to pocket the match.
Fifth seeded Dudi Sela, the 22-year old from Israel, also survived a first set tie-break to beat Kevin Kim of the US 7-6 (3), 6-2 to set up a clash with Lacko.
Both served well enough in the first set, though the 31-year-old Kim, ranked 117, was rather lucky to hold serve in a couple of games.
However, in the second set, it was the 43rd ranked Sela who took the initiative with two breaks to close out the match in 98 minutes.
On the outside court, the third seeded Indian tandem of Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna completed a 6-3, 7-6 (5) win over Americans James Cerretani and Travis Rettenmaier to advance to the doubles quarterfinals. The match was halted around midnight due to rain and resumed this afternoon.
Also progressing to the quarter-finals were the scratch Indo-Spanish pair of Yuki Bhambri and Carlos Moya who beat Ginepri and Sela 6-2, 4-6, 10-5, late last night.
The results:
Singles (Round of 16): Lukas Lacko (Slovakia) bt Robby Ginepri (US) 7-6 (3), 6-4; Dudi
Sela (Israel) bt Kevin Kim (US) 7-6 (3), 6-2.
Doubles (Round of 16): 3-Mahesh Bhupathi / Rohan Bopanna (India) bt James Cerretani / Travis Rettenmaier (US) 6-3, 7-6 (5); WC-Yuki Bhambri (India) / Carlos Moya (Spain) bt Robby Ginepri (US) / Dudi Sela (Israel) 6-2, 4-6, 10-5.
rounak