News

2007-09-23 15:03

Roitman triumphs in Szczecin

Sixth seed Sergio Roitman of Argentina won the Pekao Open challenger on Sunday, downing Czech qualifier, Ivo Minar in two sets. Roitman had the match under control from the beginning to the end, as Minar looked tired and commited a lot of unforced errors. 'I was really exhausted and nervous, I couldn't sleep today' - said Minar. 'I'm very happy with this win, I will come back next year to defend my title for sure' - said Roitman.

2007-09-22 20:15

Roitman to meet Minar in the final

Sixth-seeded Sergio Roitman of Argentina made his way to the final of the Pekao Open Challenger on Saturday, as his opponent, Filippo Volandri, was forced to retire trailing 4:6, 0:3. 'I felt pain in the left groin. I didn't want to risk a serious injury' - said Volandri. Roitman will now face Ivo Minar of the Czech Republic. Minar beat Austria's Daniel Koellerer for a place in the final. - I'm a bit tired - I played three matches in the qualies and four in the main draw - said Minar.

2007-09-21 20:18

Ungur and Kamke fall, Volandri and Roitman advance

Romania's Adrian Ungur was forced to retire as he trailed Ivo Minar of the Czech Republic 5:7, 0:4. 'I don't think that he was injured, it seemed as if he had lost his motivation. He just didn't want to play any more.' - said Minar after the match. The Czech will now meet either Argentina's Martin Vassallo Arguello or Daniel Koellerer of Austria. First-seeded Filippo Volandri of Italy also wrapped up a semifinals slot as he beat another Czech, Jiri Vanek, 6:1, 1:6, 6:1. 'This was a really awkward match. I played really well in the beginning, then in the second second set he got a bit lucky and I just lost my focus. But in the end I regained concentration and made some very good shots.' - said Volandri. The Italian will face Sergio Roitman in the semifinal. Roitman rallied from a set down to defeat Tobias Kamke of Germany 2:6, 7:5, 6:0.

2007-09-20 20:20

Kamke to meet Roitman in the quarters

German sensation, Tobias Kamke, made his way to the quarterfinals by beating Jan Hernych of the Czech Republic 6:2, 1:6, 6:0 on Thursday. ‘I’m very happy with this win. I started playing professional tennis last year, in July, as soon as I finished high school. ‘I live in Luebeck since I was born. I practice on clay and hard courts either close to my hometown or in Hamburg, where I can practice with German pros. – said Kamke. The German will now face Sergio Roitman of Argentina. Romania's Adrian Ungur also advanced as he beat Jan Mertl of the Czech Republic 3:6, 6:1, 7:6(2). Ungur will now play another Czech, Ivo Minar. Minar upset seventh-seeded Simone Bolelli of Italy.

2007-09-19 19:13

Volandri sets up clash with Vanek

Top-seeded Filippo Volandri defeated Bohdan Ulichrach of the Czech Republic 7:6 (4), 6:2 on Wednesday to advance to the quarterfinals of the Pekao Open 2007 challenger. He will now face another Czech - eight-seeded Jiri Vanek. “I don't like playing against Czech players. They hit the ball really flat, produce a lot of winners, one has to be really focused to win” said Volandri. Jiri Vanek defeated Julian Reister, a German qualifier, earlier in the day. Martin Vassallo Arguello of Argentina also advanced. He beat Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr. of Ukraine 6:4, 6:2. The Argentine will now meet Daniel Koellerer of Austria, who dismissed the 2004 Roland Garros champion, Gaston Gaudio, 6:0, 6:2 in less than an hour.

2007-09-18 21:07

Rain falls, Monfils and Gawron retire, Seppi loses

Eleven first-round matches were postponed because of inclement weather on Day 2 of the Pekao Open challenger in Szczecin. Seeded players obviously didn't like the conditions, as both fourth seed Andreas Seppi and second seed Gael Monfils fell. The Italian lost to Czech Jan Hernych 4:6, 3:6. "This season has not been good for me so far. I was very inconsistant. I hope that it will change here, in Szczecin, but I don't want to think about the quarter- or semifinals yet. I have to win my next match first" said Hernych. The Czech will now play a German special exempt player, Tobias Kamke, for a spot in the quarterfinal. Kamke battled past Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo of Spain 6:3, 4:6, 6:1 earlier in the day. The only Pole in the main draw, Marcin Gawron, aggravated an injury to his right ankle and retired trailing Italian Simone Bolelli 0:6, 1:2 in the first round Tuesday. "I sprained my ankle in the second game of the first set, but I still wanted to give it a shot" - explained Gawron. Czech Jan Mertl upset Gael Monfils after the French second seed withdrew from the match trailing 3:6, 0:2. Argentine Martin Vasallo-Arguello, Daniel Koellerer of Austria and Thierry Ascione of France were also among winners on Tuesday.

2007-09-17 20:35

Volandri advances to meet Ulihrach

Top-seeded Filippo Volandri of Italy advanced to the second round of the Pekao Open on Monday when he beat Santiago Ventura of Spain 7:6 (3), 6:2. He will now meet Czech Bohdan Ulihrach, who upstaged Razvan Sabau of Romania 6:3, 6:1 earlier in the day. But Volandri doesn't think about the next match. He already thinks about the final. 'I've lost to Gael Monfils a week ago, in the first round of the BCR Romania Open in Bucharest, so I hope that I can take a revange on him this week, here, in Szczecin' - said Volandri.
Czech Jiri Vanek and Ukrainian Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr., also advanced. Vanek defeated Alberto Martin of Spain 5:7, 6:4, 6:2 and Dolgopolov Jr. beat Julio Silva of Brazil 6:3, 3:6, 6:3.