By Rizwan Rehmat
DOHA: Unseeded Illy Marchenko of Ukraine yesterday scripted the first major upset of the new season when he beat defending champion David Ferrer of Spain in three sets on day two of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open.
Ranked number 94 in the world, tennis journeyman Marchenko played fearless tennis from the baseline to beat Ferrer - the fourth seed - 6-7, 6-3, 6-2 in two hours and 27 minutes on the Centre Court at Khalifa Tennis Complex.
It was Marchenko’s first win over Ferrer on the ATP Tour. Before yesterday’s clash, Marchenko had never taken a set off a top-10 player.
In a late match on Centre Court yesterday, second seed and 2014 champion Rafael Nadal of Spain overcame a set’s deficit to beat compatriot Pablo Carreno Busta 6-7, 6-3, 6-1 in two hours.
In other matches yesterday, third seed Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic beat Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine 7-5, 6-4 in 1 hour 17 minutes while eight seed Leonardo Mayer of Argentina crushed German qualifier Benjamin Becker 6-1, 6-2 in 64 minutes.
Russia’s Teymuraz Gabashvili beat Italy’s Simone Bolelli 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 in 1 hour 58 minutes while Spain’s Pablo Andujar downed Italy’s Paolo Lorenzi 6-4, 0-6, 6-4 in 1 hour 59 minutes. France’s Paul-Henri Mathieu beat Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 in 2 hours 45 minutes on court number 2.
The day clearly belonged to 28-year-old Marchencko who is yet to win a title on the ATP Tour.
“It is a fantastic start for me,” Marchenko said after the three-set battle. “I prepared really well. Now I will have to get ready for the next match,” he added.
“Earlier I was not even close to winning a set (against a top-10 player) and today it was a fantastic match. It is a big day for me and I am really happy on this performance.
Marchenko takes on Russia’s Gabashvili in the second round of the six-day event.
Marchenko overcame a shocker in the first set when he wasted a 5-1 advantage in the tie-breaker. Ferrer, clearly looking the part in terms of fitness, fought back by pushing Marchenko back on the baseline.
A couple of long returns and unforced error by Marchencko helped Ferrer close the gap at 4-5 followed by an unforced error that tied the score at 5-all.
At 8-all, a rattled Marchenko smashed a return long before firing a wayward return on the next serve by Ferrer who took the first set on his third set point. The first set lasted 67 minutes while the tie-breaker went on for 15 minutes.
In the second set, Marchenko hit the ground running, breaking Ferrer in games two and eight before closing the set with an ace. The second set lasted 35 minutes. In the third set, the well-built Ukrainian returned well to break Ferrer twice to complete the first upset of the 2016 season,
On match point, a confident Marchenko produced a flourishing forehand to take the match.
“I was confident in the match because the coach had firm belief in me,” Marchencko said. “I served well too. It is a fantastic way to start the season. It is really important to stay calm and focused after this win. I have to recover well from a game that had such long rallies,” Marchenko said.
Earlier, Last year’s losing finalist Berdych won the points that mattered to beat Stakhovsky in straight sets.
Berdych won 7-5, 6-4 in 1 hour 17 minutes to make a resounding start to his new season on what was day two of the six-day tournament.
“I just wanted to get on the court and play matches which I did,” Berdych, the third seed in Doha, said. “I am glad to be back and I am happy to have won the first match,” he added.
“I have some time off after my last match in London (in November). I needed a break which I got. Later I played some IPTL and then prepared for this event. I was busy and I am feeling healthy now,” Berdych said.
With his win yesterday, Berdych kept his hold on Stakhovsky who has gone seven matches without a win over his Czech opponent.
Berdych broke Stakhosvky in game two of the first set but the Ukrainian responded back immediately by breaking the Czech in game three.
Both players held serve until game 12 when Berdych broke Stakhovsky for the second time in the first set.
After a similar pattern in the second set Berdych claimed victory as a wayward Stakhosvky was broken in game 10.
When asked about his top moment in 2015, Berdych said: “The two big moments were when I got married and on the court when I beat Rafa in Melbourne.”
The Peninsula
