WROCLAW, January 19, 2015
Top-seed Ricardas Berankis had a successful start into the Wroclaw Open defeating two Polish wild cards in a row. The world number 79 from Lithuania and only top 100 player in the draw, had to face some difficulties in his opening match against only 18-year-old Hubert Hurkacz when he capitalized on only two out of 13 break points but eventually emerged victorious after one hour and 48 minutes winning 7-6, 7-5. The world number 1418 Wroclaw native was satisfied with his ATP Challenger debut. “It wasn’t missing that much. I played pretty well,” Hurkacz told after the encounter.
Hubert Hurkacz hit some big serves during his encounter with Ricardas Berankis (photo: Wroclaw Open)
In his second round match on Thursday, Berankis had less problems beating 19-year-old world number 366 Kamil Marjchrzak winning 6-4, 6-4 in 73 minutes. The 24-year-old Lithuanian will meet Ilya Marchenko in the quarterfinal, who defeated Marton Fucsovics 6-4, 7-6.
Kamil Majchrzak during his match against Ricardas Berankis (photo: Wroclaw Open)
Second seed Steve Darcis also advanced to the next round reaching his third quarterfinal of the season through a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Andrea Arnaboldi in 79 minutes. The world number 115 from Belgium made it into the stage of the final eight at the ATP 250 event in Montpellier and reached the final at the ATP Challenger in Noumea in the season’s very first week. Darcis will take on Konstantin Kravchuk next. The Russian beat Andrej Martin in straight sets winning 6-4, 6-4.
German veteran Michael Berrer is still undefeated in Orbita Hall. The 34-year-old claimed the last Challenger title in Wroclaw back in 2009 and made it again into the quarterfinals at the current edition. Berrer saved all seven break points he faced to beat Estonian Jurgen Zopp in one hour and 43 minutes winning 6-3, 7-6.
Michael Berrer is still undefeated in Wroclaw’s Orbita Hall (photo: Wroclaw Open)
The seventh-seed from Stuttgart set a first meeting with the tournament’s number three Farrukh Dustov, who saved all four break points to beat Jan Hernych 7-6, 7-5 in one hour and 25 minutes. The 28-year-old Uzbek reached his second quarterfinal in a row after reaching the stage of the final eight in Bergamo last week.
Mirza Basic, who battled through the qualifying and defeated Jesse Huta Galung winning 7-5, 7-6, set a quarterfinal match with Jan Mertl. The Czech verteran took out the tournament’s last Polish player in the draw beating Andriej Kapas 5-7, 6-3, 6-4.
