Lukas Rosol puts Czech Republic into Davis Cup semis
Rosol, who is 63rd in the ATP rankings, won 7-6, 6-7, 7-6, 6-2 in his first ever head-to-head meeting with the 25-year-old Korolev to give his team an unassailable 3-1 lead in the tie.
Almaty, Kazakhstan: Lukas Rosol of Czech Republic put the defending champions into the Davis Cup semi-finals with a tough win over Kazakhstan's Evgeny Korolev at Astana on Sunday.
Rosol, who is 63rd in the ATP rankings, won 7-6, 6-7, 7-6, 6-2 in his first ever head-to-head meeting with the 25-year-old Korolev to give his team an unassailable 3-1 lead in the tie.
"It was a really difficult win as Evgeny showed really classy tennis today and kept me under pressure throughout the match," Rosol said.
"Luckily I managed to resist the pressure and won. It's our joint win, the entire team's result."
Both players started cautiously, trying to avoid unnecessary risks, before Rosol snatched the opening set tie-break.
In the second set Korolev, who is 187th in the world, broke in the sixth game but Rosol broke back in the ninth to set up another tiebreak, which Korolev won to level at one set all.
The third set was almost a carbon copy of the second as Korolev grabbed the lead in the fifth game, while Rosol levelled in the 10th. But this time the 27-year-old Czech was more precise in the tiebreak to clinch a 2-1 lead.
In the fourth Rosol underlined his clay supremacy, breaking his rival's serve twice to win the set, the match and a place in the semi-finals for his team.
On Friday Rosol and Jan Hajek gave Czech Republic a commanding 2-0 lead beating Andrey Golubev 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 and Mikhail Kukushkin 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 respectively.
On Saturday Kazakhstan's pair of Golubev and Yuriy Schukin reduced the arrears with a straight-set win 7-6, 6-4, 6-3 over the Czech pair Hajek and Radek Stepanek.
Lukas Rosol in Davis Cup action 5-7 April 2013 in Kazakhstan
Lukas Rosol won his first ATP World Tour title in Bucharest
Lukas Rosol returns the ball to Guillermo Garcia-Lopez during their men's singles final match at the Bucharest International tennis tournament in Bucharest April 28, 2013.
Lukas Rosol signs autographs after defeating Guillermo Garcia-Lopez during their men's singles final match at the Bucharest International tennis tournament in Bucharest April 28, 2013
Lukas Rosol celebrates with the trophy of the Bucharest International tennis tournament after defeating Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in Bucharest April 28, 2013.
BRD NASTASE TIRIAC TROPHY 2013
Rosol Turns Grief To Glory For First Title
Bucharest, Romania
by ATP Staff | 28.04.2013
In 2012, Lukas Rosol made a name for himself by stunning Rafael Nadal in the second round of Wimbledon. Now, the Czech can add the tag of ATP World Tour title holder to his name.
Rosol completed an emotional run at the BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy in Bucharest Sunday, brushing aside Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-3, 6-2 in the final. Rosol converted four of his nine break points in the 67-minute victory to triumph on his tour-level final debut. During the ceremony, Rosol dedicated the title to his father, who passed away 10 days ago.
“I wanted to dedicate this trophy to someone, so I found the energy,” said Rosol. “ I felt somebody was helping me from up top. It’s not just about me. My family has always supported me and my tennis. I felt match after match, my dream was coming true.
“It could not be better this week. I came here from a full two weeks of practice. I didn't know what to expect of myself. So I’m pretty satisfied with this result… I will remember this week. It was very emotional for me and is something special. I found a way to beat some good players and succeed.”
The Czech became the third first-time winner this season, joining Bernard Tomic (Sydney) and Horacio Zeballos (Vina del Mar). During his run to the trophy, Rosol eliminated three seeds, including No. 2 seed and three-time champion Gilles Simon in the semi-finals, and dropped just one set to third seed Andreas Seppi in the second round. Rosol is projected to rise to around a career-high Emirates ATP Ranking of No. 36 on Monday.
Lukas Rosol
Re: Lukas Rosol
But he'll probably only get to play a dead rubber...
