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Argentine Juan Monaco claimed a place in his first final in almost a year yesterday as he defeated Robin Haase 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) at the Swiss Open. |
The ATP number 105, who has slipped out of the top 100 after a series of injuries going back to late 2013, recovered from breaks down in both sets to claim victory over the Dutch seventh seed, a losing finalist here a year ago to Mikhail Youzhny. Monaco will play the winner from a pair of Spaniards as fourth seeded Fernando Verdasco faces Pablo Andujar. The 30-year-old Argentine went through to his first final since Kitzbuehel 51 weeks ago after playing his first semi-final of 2014.
“At the start I didn’t play well, he deserved his 3-0 lead. But I began playing better and got into the match,” Monaco said of a contest which began four hours late due to rain. “We had no time to really warm up but it was the same for both. I got some rhythm and hit the ball harder than him. I was able to get into control.
“In the second set I had some opportunities that I didn’t take, I was a bit nervous, I’ve not played a semi-final this season. “But at the end I just relaxed and played my tennis,”
Monaco improved to 3-2 over Haas after losing the pair’s last two meetings.
The South American has been bothered by three different injuries this season—his back, a wrist and a foot.
His victory took his 2014 record to 13-14 and 5-1 at this alpine village whose clay stands 1,050m above sea level.
Monaco came from 2-1 down in the second set after trailing 2-0 in the first.
He was eventually able to overpower a frustrated Haase, who has won two clay trophies at altitude in Kitzbuehel, Austria. Monaco carried the second set into a tie-breaker and advanced to the title match on the second of three match points after one and three-quarter hours.
Defending champ Isner advances in Atlanta
John Isner kept his Atlanta ATP title defense on track with a 7-6 (10/8), 6-4 quarter-final victory over Australian Marinko Matosevic.
A day after Isner fired 30 aces and still had to fight off two match points in a second-round win over Robby Ginepri, the towering American fired 17 aces and won 84 percent of his first-serve points in his win over Matosevic.
Isner was broken in the first game of the match, but kept his composure to take the opening set in a tie-break, saving a set point along the way.
He converted two of his own five break chances to seal the win, breaking for a 4-3 lead in the second set and pounding an ace on his first match point.
“I knew he was struggling out there a little bit and he knew I was struggling out there a little bit,” Isner said.
“A lot of times those situations are a big advantage for me because I can muster up enough energy to pop some big serves in.
“The beginning of the second set it felt like someone put us in the oven. It was rough. There’s only one option for me there: play big and play aggressive. A lot of times it works out.”
Isner, the champion in Atlanta in 2013 and runner-up to Mardy Fish in both 2010 and 2011, will face fellow American Jack Sock for a place in the final.
