Unbroken Cuevas Among 1St-Time Hamburg Title Hopefuls
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GERMAN TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS 2016: DAY 6 MEDIA NOTES Saturday, July 16, 2016 Rothenbaum Tennis Arena, Hamburg, Germany | July 11-17, 2016 Draw: S-32, D-16 | Prize Money: €1,388,830 | Surface: Clay ATP World Tour Info Tournament Info ATP PR & Marketing www.ATPWorldTour.com www.German-Open-Hamburg.de Martin Dagahs: [email protected] Twitter: @ATPWorldTour Twitter: @Am_Rothenbaum Fabienne Benoit: [email protected] Facebook: @ATPWorldTour Facebook: @TennisAmRothenbaum Press Room: +49 40 524724141 UNBROKEN CUEVAS AMONG 1ST-TIME HAMBURG TITLE HOPEFULS DAY 6 PREVIEW: The German Tennis Championships will feature two new finalists and crown a new champion on Sunday as No. 3 seed Pablo Cuevas, the 2009 semi-finalist, joins three players through to the Hamburg semi-finals for the first time on Saturday. Uruguay’s Cuevas, who has faced – and saved – two break points in three matches at Am Rothenbaum this week, faces a South American showdown with Argentina’s Renzo Olivo, who booked his place in the first ATP World Tour semi-final of his career after saving two match points against top seed Philipp Kohlschreiber in the quarter-finals. Olivo won his first career meeting with Cuevas on the ITF Futures circuit in 2013 but lost their only meeting on the ATP World Tour at Umag in 2014. South America is guaranteed a finalist from the top half of the draw. Of the seven tournaments to feature South American finalists in 2016, five have been won by a South American – all five on clay. Cuevas was twice a winner and one of two South Americans (also Bellucci) to lose a final in 2016: Quito (clay): Victor Estrella Burgos (DOM) d. Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) Rio de Janeiro (clay): Pablo Cuevas (URU) d. Guido Pella (ARG) Sao Paulo (clay): Pablo Cuevas (URU) d. Pablo Carreño Busta (ESP) Houston (clay): Juan Monaco (ARG) d. Jack Sock (USA) Marrakech (clay): Federico Delbonis (ARG) d. Borna Coric (CRO) Istanbul (clay): Diego Schwartzman (ARG) d. Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) Nottingham (grass): Steve Johnson (USA) d. Pablo Cuevas (URU) In the day’s second singles match, France’s Stephane Robert plays the second semi-final of his career against No. 7 seed Martin Klizan. It is Robert’s first match against a left-handed opponent this season, but a rematch of the victory that took him through to the second week of a Grand Slam for the first – and, to date, only – time in his career at the 2014 Australian Open, when he beat the Slovakian Rotterdam champion in the third round in straight sets. Klizan, fit again after retirements for shoulder, foot and neck injuries earlier this season, has a 5-6 record in semi-finals (1-1 in 2016) but a 4-0 record in ATP World Tour finals. German Tennis Championships 2016 Day 6 – Saturday, July 16, 2016 Page 2 of 3 www.ATPWorldTour.com FEDEX ATP HEAD 2 HEADS: DAY 6 SEMI-FINAL SINGLES MATCHES Renzo Olivo (ARG) vs [3] Pablo Cuevas (URU) Cuevas Leads 1-0 14 Båstad (Sweden) Clay QF Pablo Cuevas 6-2 6-4 Other meetings: 13 São Paulo 2 CH (Brazil) Clay QF Renzo Olivo 6-7(2) 6-4 6-4 13 Montevideo CH (Uruguay) Clay QF Pablo Cuevas 6-4 7-6(5) 14 Umag Q (Croatia) Clay 3R Pablo Cuevas 7-5 6-2 Olivo 2016 FastFacts QF: Quito (l. to Estrella Burgos) YTD W-L: 7-7 (6-4 on clay) YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0 Date of Birth: March 15, 1992 Emirates ATP Ranking: 153 Hamburg W-L (Best Result): 3-0 (2016 Semi-finalist) • Tournament Note: Won 58% of 2nd-serve return points in 76(5) 26 61 victory over Youzhny in 1R; beat compatriot Maximo Gonzalez 63 64 to reach 3rd ATP World Tour QF of his career; saved two MPs against Kohlschreiber, who was serving at 5-3 in 3rd set, to beat No. 1 seed 1-6 6-0 7-5 and reach SF • Playing in first ATP World Tour SF of his career • Advanced to 2nd ATP World Tour QF of career at Quito as Q (d. Verdasco, l. to Estrella Burgos in 3 sets) • Made major debut at Australian Open as Q, beating Vesely in 5 sets before falling in 2R to Delbonis in 5 sets • Also qualified at Istanbul (l. to Lajovic in 1R) and ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (l. to Mahut in 1R) • Achieved career-high No. 145 in Emirates ATP Rankings on May 16 • In Davis Cup debut, lost doubles w/Berlocq to Kubot/Matkowski and dead rubber to Hurkacz (ARG d. POL 3-2) Cuevas 2016 FastFacts W (2): Rio de Janeiro (d. Pella); São Paulo (d. Carreño Busta); F: Nottingham (l. to Johnson); QF: Buenos Aires (l. to Ferrer) YTD W-L: 27-12 (20-6 on clay) YTD Titles: 2 / Career Titles: 5 Date of Birth: January 1, 1986 Emirates ATP Ranking: 24 Hamburg W-L (Best Result): 9-3 (2009, 2016 Semi-finalist) • Tournament Note: Did not face a break point and converted 3 of 15 in 64 63 win over [WC] F. Mayer on Monday; saved one and only break point against [Q] Monteiro, converting 4 of 13, to reach QF with 62 63 win; avenged 2009 SF defeat by Mathieu, winning 79% of points on serve during 7-6(7) 6-1 victory to reach SF. • Playing in 15th career ATP World Tour SF (7-7 record); has won all 3 SFs in 2016 (Nottingham, d. Muller; Sao Paulo, d. Lajovic; Rio de Janeiro, d. No. 5 Nadal) and 7 of last 8 since July 2014 (except Båstad 2015, l. to Paire) • Captured back-to-back titles at Rio de Janeiro (d. Pella) and São Paulo (d. Carreño Busta) • First player to beat only lefties en route to a title (d. Bagnis, Monteiro, Delbonis, No. 5 Nadal and Pella in Rio) • Reached 1st grass-court QF, SF and final at Nottingham (d. Baghdatis after saving 1 MP in QF, l. to Johnson) • Advanced to Roland Garros 3R for 2nd straight year (d. Kamke and Halys, l. to No. 8 Berdych) • Beat both Kohlschreiber and Monfils 76 in 3rd to reach ATP Masters 1000 R16 for 1st time in Madrid (l. to Kyrgios) • In doubles w/Granollers, reached Barcelona final (d. Dodig/Melo in 1R, l. to Bryan/Bryan), Australian Open SF (d. Dodig/Melo in 3R, l. to Nestor/Stepanek) and Roland Garros QF (d. Rojer/Tecau in 2R, l. to Kubot/Peya) Stephane Robert (FRA) vs [7] Martin Klizan (SVK) Robert Leads 1-0 14 Australian Open Hard R32 Stephane Robert 6-0 7-6(2) 6-4 Robert 2016 FastFacts YTD W-L: 9-7 (6-4 on clay) YTD Titles: 0 / Career Titles: 0 Date of Birth: May 17, 1980 Emirates ATP Ranking: 83 German Tennis Championships 2016 Day 6 – Saturday, July 16, 2016 Page 3 of 3 www.ATPWorldTour.com Hamburg W-L (Best Result): 3-1 (2016 Semi-finalist) • Tournament Note: Saved 4 of 5 BPs (all in 1st set) during 76(3) 64 victory over Leonardo Mayer in 1R; saved 10 of 10 in 3rd set (13 of 17 overall) during 75 46 61 victory over Cervantes in 2R; saved 5 SPs at 5-4 in 1st set of 76(4) 46 63 win over No. 8 seed Guillermo Garcia-Lopez to reach SF • Playing in 2nd career ATP World Tour SF (1-0 record); last SF appearance at Johannesburg 2010 (d. Ferrer; F l. to F. Lopez) • Facing left-handed opponent for the first time in 2016; owns a 5-6 career record • Qualified at Australian Open and reached 3R for 2nd time at a major (d. Ram 75 in 5th, l. to Monfils) • Also qualified at Monte-Carlo (l. to Carreño Busta in 1R), Estoril (l. to Garcia-Lopez in 2R), Rome (l. to No. 1 Djokovic in 2R) and Nottingham (l. to Cuevas in 2R) • Received WC and upset No. 20 Anderson in Roland Garros 1R (l. to A. Zverev in 2R) • Returned to Top 100 in Emirates ATP Rankings on May 16 after falling as low as No. 558 on May 25, 2015 • Did not drop a set en route to Challenger title at New Delhi, IND (d. Singh, Mitchell, Popko, Cipolla and Myneni) • Reached Challenger finals at Guadalajara, MEX (l. to Jaziri 76 in 3rd) and Prague, CZE (l. to Pavlasek in 3 sets) Klizan 2016 FastFacts W: Rotterdam (d. Monfils); SF: Sofia (l. to Troicki) YTD W-L: 11-8 (3-1 on clay) YTD Titles: 1 / Career Titles: 4 Date of Birth: July 11, 1989 Emirates ATP Ranking: 47 Hamburg W-L (Best Result): 4-3 (2016 Semi-finalist) • Tournament Note: Hit back from 3-0 down in final set to beat Sijsling 64 16 63 to reach 2R; raced through 51-minute 61 61 victory over German 17-year-old wild card Louis Wessels to reach QF; won 70% of 1st serve points during QF victory over Gimeno-Traver, 64 63 • Playing in 11th career ATP World Tour SF (4-6 record); has 1-1 SF record in 2016 (Sofia, l. to Troicki; Rotterdam, d. Mahut, F d. Monfils) • Improved to 4-0 in ATP singles finals and captured 1st ATP World Tour 500 title at Rotterdam (d. Monfils) • En route to title, saved 5 MPs in QF win over Bautista Agut and 3 MPs in SF win over Mahut • His 8 MPs saved were most en route to a title since Mantilla saved 9 MPs at 2001 Palermo – all vs. Portas in SF • Advanced to SFs at Sofia (l.