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Round 2 of the Malaysian Open 250 tournament in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia concluded on Thursday with some fiercely contested matches. With first seed Kei Nishikori safely through to the quarters yesterday, it was up to second seed Ernests Gulbis to show that he was in Malaysia to seriously compete for the title.
The other seeds in action were seventh seed Pablo Andujar and third seed Leonardo Mayer. At the start of play on Thursday the Malaysian Open draw had some old faces still getting wins on the ATP tour, with Phillip Petzschner and Jarkko Nieminen recapturing some of the form of earlier in their career.
Results- Thursday 25th
Round 2
J Nieminen beat L Mayer (3) 7-6(5) 6-4
B Becker beat P Herbert 6-4 7-6(4)
P Andujar (7) beat M Przysiezny 6-4 6-7(6) 6-3
E Gulbis (2) beat P Petzschner 6-3 6-7(3) 6-1
Jarkko Nieminen continued to roll back the years and produce a clinical performance to upset Leonardo Mayer, the highest seed to fall so far in this year’s Malaysian Open.
Ernests Gulbis looked set to avoid the same fate, up a set and a break against Phillip Petzschner. However, the Latvian normally adds some drama to his encounters, going on to lose the second set on a tie-break. Thankfully for Gublis fans he regained his composure to finish the match and keep his slim hopes of qualification for the World Tour Finals alive.
Schedule – Friday 26th
Quarter Finals
P Cuevas (5) v J Benneteau (4)
B Becker v E Gulbis (2)
J Nieminen v P Andujar (7)
K Nishikori (1) v M Matosevic
The schedule for the Quarter Finals of the Malaysian Open is an absolute treat for tennis fans in Kuala Lumpur and those following from elsewhere. The match of the day is certainly Kei Nishikori against Marinko Matosevic. Matosevic will thrive on the partisan crowd and it will be interesting to see how Nishikori copes if he is really challenged for the first time in this Asia swing.
Gulbis faces Benjamin Becker and will expect to progress through to the semis where he will face the winner of Benneteau against Cuevas. Nishikori and Gulbis are on a collision course for a Final meeting on Sunday.
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