SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER!
 
 
Facebook Social Button Twitter Social Button Follow Us on InstagramYouTube Social Button
NewsScoresRankingsLucky Letcord PodcastShopPro GearPickleballGear Sale


By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, February 12, 2016

 
Martin Klizan

Martin Klizan saved five match points to stun Roberto Bautista Agut, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (6), 6-0 and roar into the Rotterdam semifinals for the first time.

Photo credit: ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament

Martin Klizan created new life after near competitive death.

Klizan fought off five match points in the second set then rolled through the third-set stunning a shell-shocked Roberto Bautista Agut, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (6), 6-0, to reach the Rotterdam semifinals for the first time.

More: Nadal Rolls Monaco

The 26-year-old Slovak will play French qualifier Nicolas Mahut for a place in Sunday's final. The 34-year-old Mahut blitzed eighth-seeded Viktor Troicki, 6-2, 6-1, winning 23 of 26 points played on his first serve in avenging a three-set defeat in Sydney last month.

The depth of the comeback surprised Klizan himself.

When asked how he saved the five match points, Klizan replied: "No, I thought there were just two? Five-four, 40-15, I remember, but after that I don't really remember. The only thing I really remember was the killing forehand down break point. That's what I remember, but five match points I didn't realize it was that much."




It was Klizan's first ATP-level victory over Bautista Agut in five meetings— he won their first meeting at the 2012 Bordeaux Challenger—and avenged a five-set loss to the 17th-ranked Spaniard in the Australian Open first round last month.

Bautista Agut carried a 14-2 record on the season into the match and for much of the first two sets he played like a man poised to reach his second semifinal of the season. Klizan saved a pair of match points on his serve and three more on Bautista Agut's serve.

Serving for the match, Bautista Agut could not put away the stubborn Slovak, who began cranking his lefty forehand with jolting power and following those strikes to net. Klizan cracked 51 winners—19 more than his opponent—and won 21 of 30 trips to net.

Creeping forward in the tie breaker, Klizan clobbered a forehand return winner down the line to snatch a second set that seemed firmly in Bautista Agut's hands minutes earlier.




Empowered by that comeback, Klizan broke to start he deciding set. Forcing his opponent into lunging replies, the 43rd-ranked Slovak angled off a slick backhand volley to help earn a double-break lead for 3-0.

Bautista Agut, who had won 13 of his last 14 matches, including three-set wins in his two prior matches, was powerless to stop the onslaught at that point.

Serving for the semifinals, Klizan opened with successive aces, smacked a backhand winner then struck a beautiful backhand volley winner to seal a rousing two hour, 43-minute comeback conquest. Klizan dropped his racquet and celebrated a heart-racing victory pounding his clenched fists against his chest.

Philipp Kohlschreiber stopped second-seeded Marin Cilic, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. The 32-year-old German, who raised his career record to 6-3 against the 2014 US Open champion, will play either German wild card Alexander Zverev or Gael Monfils in the semifinals.


 

Latest News