By Alberto Amalfi | Friday, October 2, 2015
Top-seeded Tomas Berdych beat compatriot Jiri Vesely, 6-3, 6-2, leading a charge of top four seeds into the Shenzhen semifinals.
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Tomas Berdych and Tommy Robredo visited the Shenzhen dragon together this week. They'll duel for a place in the Shenzhen final tomorrow.
All four top seeds—Berdych, Robredo, second-seeded Marin Cilic and fourth-seeded Guillermo Garcia-Lopez —advanced to the final four at the ATP 250-level tournament.
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The top-seeded Berdych denied all four break points he faced dispatching Czech compatriot Jiri Vesely, 6-3, 6-2, to set up a semifinal against Robredo. It is Berdych's eighth semifinal of the season.
The No. 3-seeded Spaniard rallied for a 1-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory over Simone Bolelli in today's first quarterfinal. Robredo permitted just seven points on serve in the final set to reach his first semifinal since bowing to Benoit Paire in the Bastad final in July.
The fifth-ranked Berdych blasted Robredo, 6-0, 6-1, in their last meeting in Cincinnati in August. Berdych has won six of 10 encounters with Robredo, including their last three hard-court clashes.
Cilic hit 15 aces defeating Hyeon Chung , 7-6 (6), 6-4. The 2014 US Open champion will play Garcia-Lopez for a spot in the final. The 19-year-old Chung was contesting his first ATP quarterfinal.
The 29th-ranked Spaniard moved into the semifinals without striking a shot as scheduled opponent Adrian Mannarino conceded a walkover due to a right hip injury. Garcia-Lopez has won his last two meetings with Cilic, holding a 2-1 career edge over the 14th-ranked Croatian.